SANTA CLARA – The 49ers wrapped up the preseason with a 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium.
The world will little note, nor long remember what occurred Thursday night, as the 49ers sat out more than 30 players. But, nonetheless, here are three takeaways from the festivities:
Beathard shows blocking skills
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Quarterback C.J. Beathard got the start on Thursday but likely is behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens on the team’s depth chart.
Coach Kyle Shanahan stated last week that he plans to keep three quarterbacks on the regular-season roster, but that remains to be seen. Beathard distinguished himself in his first two NFL seasons for his toughness.
He showed some of those qualities as he ran 20 yards down the field to make a block on Chargers cornerback Brandon Facyson to help spring running back Jeff Wilson on a 41-yard touchdown run.
Beathard played the entire first half before Mullens replaced him at the start of the third quarter. He completed 6 of 9 pass attempts for 58 yards with a touchdown, no interceptions and a passer rating of 121.5.
Mullens played just one series, completing 1 of 3 pass attempts for 13 yards. Undrafted rookie Wilton Speight played the rest of the way.
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Decisions on the defensive line
Third-year pro D.J. Jones appears to have a roster spot locked down, based on the team’s decision to keep him out of action against the Chargers.
Some of the other defensive linemen face uncertain futures, though. Sheldon Day, Jullian Taylor and Damontre Moore were among the veteran defensive lineman who suited up and saw action. Moore had four tackles and a quarterback hit.
The 49ers also held out DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Solomon Thomas and Dee Ford. Nick Bosa remained out with an ankle injury sustained on Aug. 7. The 49ers believe there is a chance Bosa could be available for the regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bourne vs. Matthews?
Most of the spots at wide receiver appear set with six players standing above the rest: Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel, Marquise Goodwin, Jalen Hurd, Trent Taylor and Richie James. Taylor is expected to miss some games due to recent foot surgery and Hurd’s availability is in question due to a back condition. The 49ers are likely to keep a seventh wideout to open the season.
It could come down to Kendrick Bourne and Jordan Matthews for the final spot. Bourne and Matthews were in uniform, and both had a significant role on special teams, too.
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The major knock on Bourne has been his consistency. Those ups and downs were on full display Thursday night. He did not help himself in the second quarter when he dropped a pass from Beathard on a crossing pattern.
But Bourne redeemed himself with a diving, rolling 21-yard touchdown catch of a Beathard pass in the second quarter.
Matthews did not have any passes thrown his way.