{"id":6725,"date":"2026-08-13T21:54:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T21:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6725"},"modified":"2026-08-13T21:54:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T21:54:40","slug":"five-49ers-to-watch-in-preseason-opener-against-titans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6725","title":{"rendered":"Five 49ers to watch in preseason opener against Titans"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>SANTA CLARA \u2013 Fight after fight broke out within minutes of the 49ers\u2019 joint practice with the Titans, jeopardizing just how much longer Tuesday\u2019s work might last.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6723\">Asking Eric: Must I invite this drama queen into my circle?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Order was restored, practice lasted about another 90 minutes, and the 49ers\u2019 starters got in enough work that most will sit out tonight\u2019s 6 p.m. preseason opener at Levi\u2019s Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere won\u2019t be many starters playing,\u201d coach Kyle Shanahan said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean none, but we\u2019ve got to balance that out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Titans, coached by former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, are expected to play their would-be first-stringers.<\/p>\n<p>The 49ers, as usual, have injury issues to navigate, but they also are not a youth-laden outfit desperate for game reps before their regular-season opener, four weeks from today against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Quarterback Brock Purdy has not played in a preseason opener since his 2022 rookie year \u2014 and surely everyone recalls his one touchdown on three completions that signaled he\u2019d be the next franchise QB. He played only the second preseason game last year, with cameos in the final two in 2023 and \u201924, \u201cjust try to have that mindset of getting ready for a game, getting in pads, getting hit,\u201d Purdy said. \u201cBut also, you want to be smart and safe and get to the regular season healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In that spirit, don\u2019t expect to see superstars such as Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw or Nick Bosa.<\/p>\n<p>Benefiting most from these three preseason games should be their 19 draft picks over the past two years, and all seem fit enough to suit up except defensive end Mykel Williams (knee; Physically Unable to Perform list) and running backs Jordan James (rib) and Kaelon Black (adductor).<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Here are five players to watch against the Titans:<\/p>\n<p><strong>DEFENSIVE END ROMELLO HEIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Height, a third-round pick, has spent most of his first training camp lining up as a first-string defensive end opposite Sam Okuayinonu. And Height is their most exciting addition to a pass rush that still seems woefully understaffed.<\/p>\n<p>In Tuesday\u2019s joint practice, Height got pressure on Titans quarterback Cam Ward, but Ward also slipped past his overpursuit once. With Bosa yet to practice in team drills all camp and sidelined the past week with knee tendinitis amid his ACL comeback, the 49ers need to accelerate Height\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Otherwise, they must hope a gem emerges from this camp\u2019s injury fill-ins: Titus Leo, Ogbo Okoronkwo and Quinton Bell, who appeared to sustain an ankle injury Tuesday. Also worth watching is fifth-round pick Jaden Dugger\u2019s potential pass rush from the \u201cfever\u201d linebacker spot created to provide versatility and unpredictability.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6722\">Harriette Cole: I\u2019m furious that my daughter is dating this man<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>WIDE RECEIVER JORDAN WATKINS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sure, everyone should want to see top draft pick De\u2019Zhaun Stribling debut in the wide receiver corps, provided he suits up tonight. However, his roster spot is locked, so there\u2019s much more mystery over which wide receiver can moonlight as a punt returner. Watkins may need to prove capable in all regards, after an injury-slowed rookie year that produced two catches in four games with all 25 snaps on offense (none on special teams).<\/p>\n<p>Watkins\u2019 camp has been mixed, with a nice catch offset later by a misaligned route or inability to body up on a contested catch. One competitor as a receiver\/returner parted Wednesday with the release of Junior Bergen, a 2025 seventh-round practice squad player. Jacob Cowing\u2019s bid to reclaim that role from 2024 has been paused by a hip injury.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LINEBACKER NICK MARTIN<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Missed tackles in last year\u2019s preseason debut were a harbinger of Martin\u2019s lost rookie season. He played 15 defensive snaps before a Nov. 30, season-ending concussion. This camp, however, Martin isn\u2019t overrunning as many plays and is getting shots at weak- and strong-side linebacker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s a football-padded, I\u2019m-wearing-pads type of guy,\u201d linebacker coach K.J. Wright said. \u201cHe got sexy quickly: He strikes, he\u2019s fast, he\u2019s physical. At times I have to tell Nick, \u2018Just slow down! Don\u2019t hit Christian hard.\u2019 When he sees the ball, he just finds a way to get to it. So you guys will see come Thursday how explosive he is and how much better he\u2019s gotten from Year 1 to Year 2.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>QUARTERBACK KURTIS ROURKE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rourke\u2019s last game was a College Football Playoff loss at Notre Dame in December 2024, when he played on a torn ACL throughout that season with Indiana after five previous years at Ohio. Rourke spent his 49ers rookie year rehabbing from ACL repair, and he\u2019s rotated with Adrian Martinez for QB3 reps behind Brock Purdy and Mac Jones.<\/p>\n<p>Rourke\u2019s final pass of Tuesday\u2019s joint practice got intercepted, but his 6-foot-4, strong-armed frame definitely offers a different look to investigate in the preseason.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GUARD CONNOR COLBY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Coaches insist an open competition remains at left guard, seemingly the only vacancy on the offense\u2019s starting lineup. Colby opened camp on the first string but has been usurped the past week by veteran Rob Jones, whose violent streak showed up well in Tuesday\u2019s action against the Titans.<\/p>\n<p>Analyzing guards in a preseason game is a chore, so at least keep an eye on who\u2019s getting action there. Shanahan mentioned he\u2019d also like to see rookie Carver Willis get some snaps.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ROSTER MOVES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Running back Zamir White signed a one-year deal as the 49ers likely won\u2019t play McCaffrey, Black and James for the preseason opener. Also signed were cornerback Eli Apple and Xavier Thomas.<\/p>\n<p>Australian rookie punter Jack Bouwmeester was waived two weeks into a camp competition with left-footed Corliss Waitman. Defensive end K.J. Henry was waived with an injury settlement.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6721\">Miss Manners: I understand it\u2019s the bride\u2019s big day, but she\u2019s asking too much<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defensive end Romello Height, linebacker Nick Martin and wide receiver Jordan Watkins are among the 49ers to watch in their preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Five 49ers to watch in preseason opener against Titans - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6725\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Five 49ers to watch in preseason opener against Titans - 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