Offensive Guard Joshua Garnett
Like Jimmie Ward, third-year offensive guard Joshua Garnett has been under the gun for most of training camp and into the preseason.
Another one of the former general manager Trent Baalke’s holdovers, there’s plenty of reasoning to assume Garnett’s roster spot is in jeopardy despite him being a former first-round draft pick. And with Garnett missing most of camp with a knee injury, one could easily see how he’s losing out in the competition to start at right guard in 2018.
Garnett returned to full activities last week during joint practices with the Texans. And while he didn’t start Week 2 of the preseason, he sure saw his fair share of snaps during the game, playing late into the third quarter.
And Garnett held his own too. Aside from a late pass-protection gaffe, Garnett was able to manage pass protection at the line of scrimmage, ensuring quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard were protected from Houston’s interior rushers. All the while, Garnett moved well and didn’t show signs of the injury that held him out for the better part of the past few weeks.
Garnett still has to prove he’s a better option at right guard than fellow linemen Mike Person and Jonathan Cooper — the latter, who was just cleared from an offseason MCL procedure, saw action behind Garnett.
While Garnett still has a long way to go, it’s refreshing to see him perform well in his first in-game activities under head coach Kyle Shanahan.