And that’s a wrap on the 2026 preseason for the San Francisco 49ers. They defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 18-12 in a glorious kicking battle.
At least it’s over with. Now, the 49ers can turn the page to Australia. But before that can begin, let’s take a look at the six biggest takeaways from the preseason finale.
Jordan Watkins struggles
This game was a perfect chance for Jordan Watkins to impress the coaches with Jacob Cowing out. Unfortunately, he was mediocre, and it was evident from the start of the game.
Watkins looked awful on the opening kickoff as the return man. He had zero burst on the run and no vision. He ran into a group of players before being speared into the turf.
Shortly thereafter, he quit running the route on the first pass attempt he got from Mac Jones. It looked like a fantastic pass from Jones had Watkins gone full speed. If he’s mailing it in, then the 49ers should be done with him.
Kaelon Black, the receiver
He didn’t get many opportunities to showcase his receiving skills, but the first two times Kaelon Black was called upon for it, he was lacking. The first was when he appeared to run the wrong route.
Jones wanted him to turn back to him from the inside, but Black opened up toward the outside. He also took too long on his route. He looks stiff, which is a stark difference from how smooth he looks running the ball.
It’s safe to say that Black shouldn’t be dialed up on many routes this year. That’s a facet of his game that he needs extensive work on, and he won’t be able to pick it up significantly during the season.
Second-string defense makes a stand
While the 49ers elected to sit all of their starters, the Raiders trotted out theirs for the first two series. Offensively, the 49ers weren’t standing out much. However, their defense did a tremendous job.
The Raiders might not have a potent offense, but it’s still impressive that a second-string defense did really well against a starting unit. The same goes for when they faced the Titans in the opener.
Those two series were quality reps for the backups, especially because some of them will likely be called up this season. The 49ers might have some decent defensive backups this year to depend on.
Jordan James off to the races
It didn’t seem like Jordan James would play today after the comments Kyle Shanahan made on Monday, but he suited up. And boy, did he showcase a lot of promise.
James looked like he was shooting out of a cannon, or like when you fire off the pinball to start the pinball machine. That’s how quick and explosive he looked. He might not be as bulldozing as Kaelon Black.
But he’s certainly faster. He also has solid vision and elusiveness. If he can stay healthy, the 49ers will have a strong stable of running backs to support Christian McCaffrey this season.
Carver Willis is the starter
It’s pretty clear after this game that rookie Carver Willis will be the starting left guard. He took all of the starting reps in the first half and conceded none to Connor Colby during it.
No other player is serviceable there for the 49ers, so I fully expect Willis to be the starter for Week 1. I highly doubt Shanahan will let that be known, as he’ll want the Rams to be guessing.
But again, the 49ers have shown their hand in their last two preseason games. Colby will be the backup to Dominick Puni at right guard and will only see left-guard snaps in emergencies.
49ers displeased with Alfred Collins/CJ West?
Just when I thought there wouldn’t be anything interesting in the second half of this preseason finale, I noticed Alfred Collins and C.J. West were still playing.
That’s extremely telling. It means the 49ers believe those two players desperately need the work, especially Collins. He couldn’t win a rep to save his life, and he was mostly going against the Raiders’ backups.
West and Collins aren’t anywhere near the impactful players the 49ers thought they were getting. Either Robert Saleh advocated for two lemons, or defensive line coach Kris Kocurek is overrated.
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