The 49ers got into the meaningless preseason win column Saturday night with a nail-biting 17-9 victory over the Cowboys. There were plenty of things that mattered for the 49ers long-term though.
Here are six takeaways from Week 1 of the exhibition slate:
Dre Greenlaw is good
The rookie fifth-round pick needed a good showing as he battles for a starting job at Sam linebacker. He was aggressive against the run and had a couple nice plays to make sure tackles in coverage. Tackling was a huge issue for the 49ers last season, and the rookie did a nice job of it in his debut.
Injuries are back
Saturday was a disaster from an injury standpoint. Offensive tackle Shon Coleman was carted off with a bad ankle injury. Running back Raheem Mostert left to be evaluated for a concussion. Defensive tackle DJ Jones left with a knee injury, and it was announced Trent Taylor had surgery on his foot.
Rookies shine
The 49ers need some of their first-year players to step up this season, and they did in Saturday’s preseason opener. Second-round receiver Deebo Samuel made two impressive catches for 61 yards. Third-round receiver Jalen Hurd had a 20-yard touchdown catch and another four-yard scoring grab. Fourth-round punter Mitch Wishnowsky was as good as advertised at directional punting with a booming leg. Fifth-round linebacker Dre Greenlaw made several splash plays. Sixth-round cornerback Tim Harris stood out multiple times, and undrafted rookie running back Austin Walter was arguably the best player on offense. It wasn’t an overall great night for San Francisco, but their first-year players stuck out in some very positive ways.
Penalty problems
Penalties nearly cost the 49ers a victory Saturday night. It was bad when the had six for 81 yards in first half. It got worse as the game went on. They finished with 18 penalties for 216 yards. The yardage total would’ve been the worst in NFL regular season history. That’s something they cannot have in the regular season.
The Brandon Wilds story is fun
The 49ers needed some running back depth ahead of the preseason opener, so they signed Brandon Wilds and released safety Tyree Robinson. Wilds got touches right away despite having no knowledge of the offense. He had a really effective game with 29 yards on seven carries, and one catch for four yards. This will be a fun story if he can stick around and keep putting up good showings with the 49ers.
Defense flying around
The 49ers defense made several red zone stops to hold the Cowboys out of the end zone. They kicked three field goals, missed another, and turned the ball over on downs at the end of the game from inside the 49ers’ 5-yard line. There were some big hits, key stops from the front seven, and a few great pass breakups on the Cowboys’ final couple drives. They also forced multiple fumbles. There’s competitions for roster spots all over the defense, and it was apparent with the level of competition from that group all night.
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