SANTA CLARA — The 49ers wrapped up a light practice on Tuesday and they’ll fly to Colorado this afternoon for a five day stay in Denver. Two joint practices with the Broncos are on tap Wednesday and Thursday and the teams will play each other Saturday for preseason Game No. 2.
Running back Carlos Hyde did not downplay the important measuring stick Denver will provide.
“Going against the team who won the Super Bowl last year, those guys, they are up there,” Hyde said. “We’re trying to get to where they’re at.”
San Francisco still has, at a minimum, nine undecided positional battles. Let’s take a look at all of them before a big week in Denver.
Quarterback: Blaine Gabbert vs. Colin Kaepernick
Chip Kelly is looking for someone to win this competition. He’s not just going to hand the starting job to Gabbert, a player whose had a tremendously tough time stringing together back-to-back positive days. In Tuesday’s practice, Gabbert telegraphed an interception to linebacker Gerald Hodges in a red-zone drill. The revelation of Colin Kaepernick’s reported “dead arm” by Adam Schefter is obviously a significant blow to his starting chances. If he’s unable to practice or play against the Broncos this weekend, conventional wisdom says this quarterback race is over. But if Gabbert continues to be unremarkable on the field — a likely scenario — Kelly and the 49ers will hope and pray Kaepernick can suit up against the Packers. The bottom line is that neither are viable options to win football games.
Edge going into Denver: Gabbert by default. But with the Rams, Panthers and Seahawks looming in September, whoever wins the starting job could be back on the bench by October.
Second Wide Receiver: Quinton Patton vs. Jerome Simpson
Patton will probably win this spot for Week 1 purposes, but he’s had a relatively quiet training camp. The 49ers need this position to stretch the football field, something the speedy Simpson has shown the ability to do. If every player has a clean slate, which Kelly and offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins insist they do, Simpson could be creeping closer to Patton than most realize.
Edge going into Denver: Patton, but his snap counts won’t be set in stone if he can’t get open on a regular basis. Torrey Smith and Bruce Ellington are locked in as the respective No. 1 and slot receivers.
Tight End: Garrett Celek vs. Vance McDonald
This is going to be a platooned position, but McDonald stands the most ground to gain if Gabbert wins the starting job. The two have an undeniable chemistry together on the field, as evidenced by McDonald’s 43-yard touchdown score on Sunday. Celek is an adequate receiver, nothing spectacular, but his run blocking will keep him on the field all season.
Edge going into Denver: Celek could end up starting Week 1 against the Rams, but McDonald could finish with more snap counts against Los Angeles. This is a fluid position and both players will be necessary for the dinking and dunking this offense will require.
Left Guard: Zane Beadles vs. Joshua Garnett
The 49ers’ offensive line has looked much improved during training camp, and arguably are the strength of the offense. Beadles was the one free agent Trent Baalke signed with the hopes of plugging him into the starting lineup. First round pick Garnett has been switching back and forth between left and right guard with the second unit, and seems more comfortable at left, a position he mauled opponents at last season at Stanford.
Edge going into Denver: Beadles. He’s ran with the first-team since the moment he arrived. It didn’t help Garnett’s case he missed most of the offseason program finishing his college degree. It’s unlikely the 49ers would shift Beadles to right guard, either.
Right Guard: Andrew Tiller vs. Joshua Garnett
This has been one of the biggest surprises in camp. Tiller was significantly better than the guy he replaced last season, Jordan Devey, but he’s much more of a phone booth one-on-one blocker than an athlete suited for zone blocking. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old, like Beadles, has been locked in at the starting spot.
Edge going into Denver: Tiller, but Garnett has a greater chance of unseating Tiller than he does Beadles. If the rookie somehow does crack the starting lineup, having Tiller as a backup is a luxury for the 49ers.
Right Tackle: Trent Brown vs. Anthony Davis
Brown has been up and down in training camp, but so has Davis. Despite shedding close to 40 pounds, Davis still has plenty of rust to knock off before Week 1. Brown did have a very nice blitz pickup against the Texans.
Edge going into Denver: Davis. On Tuesday he took some first-team reps in offensive line drills. There’s a chance the 49ers give Brown a provisionary starting spot, but with stipulations attached: if you don’t preform, Davis is coming to get you.
Nose Tackle: Mike Purcell vs. Quinton Dial
This is much less of a competition than other positions on the roster. Both will be key factors in the defensive line rotation. Dial’s playing time — when and where — will be impacted by how quickly No. 7 overall pick DeForest Buckner continues to progress. If Buckner is providing pass rush, it’ll be hard to sit him down. Dial’s definitely a starting-caliber NFL defensive end, but Buckner and Arik Armstead have upside that could trickle down and help the entire defense as a whole.
Edge going into Denver: Purcell, because he’s more of a natural fit. Dial started at defensive end vs. Houston, as the 49ers sat out Armstead (shoulder) for precautionary reasons.
Will Linebacker: Michael Wilhoite, Ray-Ray Armstrong, Gerald Hodges
Wilhoite’s the incumbent, but it seems like Armstrong is encroaching on his territory after a strong showing against Houston. Defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil said the former safety answered a lot of questions he had about Armstrong’s ability to play inside the box. Hodges, as noted earlier, had an interception on Gabbert in Tuesday’s practice. The odd man out of this competition could get cut, with Nick Bellore locked in as a special teams ace.
Edge going into Denver: Dead heat.
Nickel back: Chris Davis, Dontae Johnson, Will Redman
Jimmie Ward could slide inside, depending on the matchup, but all of a sudden this position has become Davis’ to lose. The 5-foot-10, 201-pounder was fantastic against the Texans, coming up with three stops in the secondary, including a fourth-down pass breakup on Braxton Miller. O’Neil said Redman (ACL tear) has been playing through some discomfort and the rookie has been lugging a bulky knee brace since he arrived in Santa Clara. Johnson is lengthy and athletic but hasn’t exactly turned heads yet. His ability to play special teams gives him a fair shot at making the 53-man roster, though.
Edge going into Denver: Davis, by a landslide. O’Neil and the defensive staff feel like they might’ve unearthed a gem in the 2014 undrafted free agent out of Auburn.