49ers vs. Packers, 1st quarter preseason thread: 17 starters aren’t in uniform tonight

The 49ers' preseason kicks off shortly against the Green Bay Packers. We won't see Aaron Rodgers for the road team, but we'll see Trey Lance and the Niners' first-team offense and defense. It would be a surprise to see both units play for more than a series or two. But that doesn't take away from the excitement of seeing San Francisco live.

According to the beat reporters on hand, Deebo Samuel is in street clothes, as is Jimmie Ward, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Elijah Mitchell, Trent Williams, and Kyle Juszczyk. The 49ers will already be without Charvarius Ward and Emmanuel Moseley due to injury.

As for the defensive line, Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Samson Ebukam, Charles Omenihu, and Hassan Ridgeway are all not in uniform. That’s not all, as all three linebackers, Fred Warner, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Dre Greenlaw, aren’t suited up. Essentially, 17 players the coaching staff don’t need to assess. The team knows what they have in the veterans or established starters.

So, the three interior offensive linemen, Aaron Banks, Jaken Brendel, and Spencer Burford, will play, as will safety Talanoa Hufanga.

Mitchell injury

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Elijah Mitchell is nursing a hamstring injury that will keep him out of the preseason. However, Schefter said Mitchell should be ready for the regular season.

Still, injuries limited Mitchell in 2021 and was a key reason why the 49ers spent a third-round draft pick on a running back for the second year in a row. Mitchell missed six games as a rookie, including injuries to his knee, shoulder, ribs, and a concussion. The kid doesn’t have great injury luck.

That means we’ll get a heavy dose of Trey Sermon and Ty Davis-Price this preseason. Don’t expect Jeff Wilson to get much run since the team knows what they have in him. This also will give JaMycal Hasty and Jordan Mason an opportunity to make the roster.