49ers vs. Chargers: 10 things to watch in preseason finale (Sneak peek: Wishnowsky)

Here are 10 things to watch in Thursday night’s game as the 49ers wrap up their preseason slate against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium.

1. The Beathard trade possibility

Kyle Shanahan would never say it, but all signs are pointing to Nick Mullens winning the backup quarterback job, which could mean C.J. Beathard will be going through his final audition for other teams in the market for quarterback depth.

Yes, Shanahan said he expects to have three quarterbacks on the regular season roster come Saturday, but he didn’t rule out trading one of his signal-callers. And the 49ers have injury issues throughout the roster heading into Week 1, which puts roster spots at a premium.

Shanahan, of course, has kept just two quarterbacks active during his two seasons as coach in order to have more depth elsewhere. San Francisco would have to skim a player off the 53-man roster on the fringes elsewhere, which could come at defensive line, linebacker, offensive line or tight end, which are all positions where an NFL-caliber player might not make the cut.

Suffice to say, we can’t rule out Thursday being the last time we see Beathard in a 49ers uniform, no matter what Shanahan said after the last preseason game in Kansas City.

2. The battle at inside linebacker

The 49ers released veteran Malcolm Smith this week, leaving three locks at linebacker: Fred Warner, Kwon Alexander and fifth-round draft pick Dre Greenlaw. Five or six linebackers are likely to make the team, depending on numbers at other positions, meaning Elijah Lee, undrafted rookie Azeez Al-Shaair, David Mayo and Mark Nzeocha could be competing for three spots.

Al-Shaair has played well throughout the preseason, but it remains to be seen if he could clear waivers and get to the practice squad if he didn’t make the cut. Lee is entering his third season and has experience playing in the 49ers defense after replacing Reuben Foster late last year. Mayo was brought in for his special teams value and veteran leadership, whilie Nzeocha is a favorite of special teams coach Richard Hightower.

One of those players isn’t going to make it. Perhaps Thursday can help signal which direction the 49ers will go.

3. Is there anything left to learn about receivers?

The 49ers aren’t going to play Dante Pettis, Marquise Goodwin, Trent Taylor or Jalen Hurd, four players who are locks to make the 53-man roster. That leaves second-round pick Deebo Samuel, Jordan Matthews, Kendrick Bourne, Richie James Jr., Malik Henry, Chris Thompson and newcomer Nick Williams to get significant snaps.

Samuel’s making the team, which leaves Matthews, Bourne and James to battle for one or two spots, which also depends on how things shake out elsewhere. It would make sense for San Francisco to keep seven receivers through cuts because of injuries (Taylor is expected to miss a game or two and Hurd’s back injury will get re-evaluated next week).

Could Bourne fail to make the team after being the most productive receiver last year? It’s a distinct possibility, given Matthews is the favorite to replace Taylor in the slot and James’ value on special teams. Maybe Thursday’s game will tip the scales if Shanahan hasn’t already decided how he’s rounding out his receiving corps.

4. Defensive line situation with Street out

The 49ers are expected to shut down 2018 fourth-round draft pick Kentavius Street for the season after arthroscopic surgery Friday, which could open the battle along the defensive line on the back end of the roster. Defensive line is easily San Francisco’s deepest position group.

It would appear defensive tackle Jullian Taylor is most likely to benefit from Street’s looming absence. Or the 49ers could go with another edge pass rusher such as Damontre Moore, who’s been in the league since 2013 and played well throughout the preseason. Otherweise, Kevin Givens or Jay Bromley could find a way to sneak on to the roster for San Francisco to develop.

5. Will Joshua Garnett make the team?

Good luck handicapping the battle to round out the offensive line.

The 49ers are likely to keep three or four backups, with “swing” tackle Sam Young and Ben Garland near locks to make the team. That leaves sixth-round pick Justin Skule, undrafted rookie Daniel Brunksill, veteran Wesley Johnson, second-year pro Najee Toran and 2016 first-round pick Joshua Garnett as the likely contenders for the remaining spots.

Garnett is easily the most talented of the group. But his lengthy injury history has been well documented and Shanahan might not be willing to give him another chance. Plus, he doesn’t have the versatility to play multiple positions like Toran, Brunksill, Johnson or Skule. On the other hand, if anything were to happen to center Weston Richburg or right guard Mike Person, who have both dealt with injuries lately, Garnett might be the best option to plug into the starting lineup.

Don’t expect any starters to play Thursday giving the coaching staff a chance to figure out which linemen will make the cut.

6. Backup tight end battle

The 49ers don’t have a clear-cut No. 2 tight end behind George Kittle. Ross Dwelley was the favorite early in training camp. But sixth-round pick Kaden Smith has come on recently and Shanahan might prefer the best blocking option in veteran Levine Toilolo, who’s played in 16 games in five of the past six seasons, missing just one with the Falcons in 2017.

Perhaps the use of Garrett Celek as the top blocking tight end the past two seasons is a template for building the tight end group, which would make Toilolo the favorite to open as Kittle’s understudy. The battle would then shift to Smith versus Dwelley, which could be determined by who plays better Thursday. It might make things a little easier for San Francisco knowing both are practice squad eligible.

7. Why it’s worth watching the running backs

General manager John Lynch went on the radio Wednesday and offered some bad news surrounding the comeback of Jerick McKinnon. He suffered another setback surrounding his surgically repaired right knee – his third of the summer – and seems likely to end up on injured reserve. It means the 49ers might have to dip a little further into their pool of running backs than they thought.

Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida could be a good-enough duo at running back. And Raheem Mostert is assuredly the team’s best special teams player making him a near lock to survive final cuts. The rest of the depth chart will be on display Thursday with Jeff Wilson Jr. and Austin Walter likely getting the bulk of the playing time.

Wilson wouldn’t be a fourth tailback to keep around, but the roster numbers might not allow it. Would he make it through waivers to the practice squad? That’s tough to know. Walter most likely would, but the 49ers would love to keep Wilson around for insurance, but that might be difficult if he earns his way on to another team’s active roster with a strong showing Thursday. He scored two touchdowns against the Chiefs and showed promise late last year.

8. The Big Wishnowsky

The fourth-round pick destroyed a kick returner with a perfect-form tackle in Denver and had a 62-yard punt go out of bounds at Kansas City’s 3-yard line on Saturday.

What will our hero do next? Tune in Thursday.

9. Injuries

Sorry to bring this up, but the 49ers haven’t gotten through a preseason game without having an injury pop up. They had good news on Saturday when X-rays on fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s hand came back negative. We know San Francisco can’t afford many more absences from contributing players.

Luckily for the 49ers, they won’t be playing many (any?) of their most important players.

10. Will it be the last time we have a fourth preseason game?

The current collective bargaining agreement lasts through 2020, though there’s a chance a new CBA is agreed upon between the NFL and NFL Players Association before then, which could lead reformatting the preseason as soon as next year. The two sides reportedly had their seventh negotiating session in Chicago this week in order to avoid a work stoppage down the road.

Expect two preseason games knocked off the schedule if that happens, which means Thursday could be the last time we see a fourth preseason game.

Please, oh please, let Thursday be the last time we all suffer through a fourth preseason the game. Please.

This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 3:38 PM with the headline "49ers vs. Chargers: 10 things to watch in preseason finale (Sneak peek: Wishnowsky)."