SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Wednesday was an interesting day in 49ers land.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, in a media session before practice, said he has "a pretty good idea" of which quarterback will start Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.
"I've always had a pretty good idea. But, there's lots of days between now and then, at every position," he said.
Shanahan was immediately followed at the podium by Jimmy Garoppolo, who smiled, and also said he had a "pretty good idea" of which quarterback will be under center in Detroit between him and rookie Trey Lance.
"It's whatever he decides," Garoppolo said. "I'm pretty happy with where I'm at right now and everything."
The obvious takeaway from the two news conferences was that Shanahan has likely told the quarterbacks Garoppolo will be first on the field in Detroit on Sept. 12.
The second assumption after watching the practice that followed is Lance will also get playing time against the Lions.
That's because Lance received five of the 13 reps with the starters during a move-the-ball period over the second half of practice. It was only the second time since training camp began the No. 3 pick has worked that extensively with the first team. He had an eight-play spell with the starters during a joint practice last Friday against the Chargers, two days before their exhibition tilt on Sunday.
Wednesday's session for the 49ers looked like it was about getting used to two quarterbacks rotating. It also included Jimmy Garoppolo getting snaps with the second team offense for the first time since he was acquired in the middle of the 2017 season.
"I think I'm doing a little bit of more of (rotating quarterbacks) here these next two weeks, just for me to get used to it and stuff, so the guys get used to it," Shanahan said before mentioning what the New Orleans Saints did in recent seasons when Drew Brees was the starter and versatile backup Taysom Hill would play in special packages. He also indicated his plans are fluid.
"I'm sure that took them some time to kind of get the flow of that," he continued. "But it's nothing that you can say, 'Hey we did this in practice so this is how it's going to be.' You adjust to that in games and you prepare for everything, but you don't know until you go through it. So that's why I don't sit here and pretend like I have all the answers because I don't."
Brees attended the joint practices with the Chargers last week and Garoppolo said he spoke to the future Hall of Famer about adjusting to a quarterback rotation.
"It's a thing that I wasn't really used to, I guess you could say," Garoppolo said. "Just the in and out part of it. So, I was trying to pick his brain, how he handled that.
"... It's a different type of flow to the game. As a quarterback you're used to being out there the whole time. And so, it's just something that you've just got to get reps at and get used to it."
The full-team portion of practice began as usual, with Garoppolo and Lance working with the first and second units, respectively. Then they started rotating during a move-the-ball period. Garoppolo was given the first three plays with the starters before Lance got the next three. Then Garoppolo took five of the next seven starting reps and they shared the second-team reps, leaving none for third stringer Nate Sudfeld.
Unofficially, Garoppolo on the day completed 9-of-13 and took one sack while Lance completed 11-of-16 with an interception and three sacks taken. Lance was picked by safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who was in the perfect spot when Lance overthrew tight end MyCole Pruitt over the middle.
It appears the 49ers have already begun planning for the Lions ahead of Sunday's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. Shanahan has said he expects a number of starters to get their first preseason action, including star tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner.
Left tackle Trent Williams returned to practice after sitting out over a week with a minor knee issue, though it's unclear if he'll suit up on Sunday.
Defensive end Nick Bosa, coming off last September's ACL tear, participated in team drills for the first time since the injury. He played nine snaps, none coming during the move-the-ball period, and had a would-be sack of Garoppolo on his second snap (there appeared to be a miscommunication among the offense on the play).
Safety Jaquiski Tartt was back in action for the first time in training camp also. He worked with the second team defense at strong safety after being activated off the physically unable to perform list due to a turf toe injury suffered last season. Tavon Wilson, who was given time off practice last week and didn't play on Sunday, returned to work with the starters while rookie fifth-round pick Talanoa Hufanga worked with Tartt on the second unit.
