The San Francisco 49ers will rest most of their starters Thursday evening against the Los Angeles Chargers, but one starter that will play is linebacker Reuben Foster. Five days removed from suffering a concussion in preseason Week 3, Foster has been cleared through the concussion protocol.
Normally a starter sits out the preseason finale, but John Lynch announced prior to the concussion that Foster would play against the Chargers. Foster will miss the first two games of the regular season while serving a suspension, and it seems like the team wants to get him a few more snaps before he is unable to participate.
The 49ers are sitting Fred Warner and Malcolm Smith, and starting Foster and Brock Coyle. When Week 1 arrives, Warner and Smith seem to be the logical candidates to start, with Coyle serving as a rotational option. When Foster returns in Week 3, Warner likely moves into a nickel and dime role.