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San Francisco 49ers: 4 players who should see more snaps vs. Broncos

By Peter Panacy

TAMPA, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #41 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for an eight yard gain during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Jeff Wilson Jr. #41 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for an eight yard gain during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 30: Kyle Postma #3 of the Houston Cougars runs the ball against Jullian Taylor #94 of the Temple Owls in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Houston Cougars defeated the Temple Owls 20-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 30: Kyle Postma #3 of the Houston Cougars runs the ball against Jullian Taylor #94 of the Temple Owls in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Houston Cougars defeated the Temple Owls 20-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Defensive Tackle Jullian Taylor

After regularly being on the Niners’ week-to-week list of inactives, it’s nice to see rookie defensive tackle Jullian Taylor appear in back-to-back games, finishing Week 13 with a tackle and performing well enough to get more snaps down the remaining stretch.

Despite the limited number of snaps, Taylor ended up posting 77.6 and 69.1 overall Pro Football Focus grades in Weeks 12 and 13, respectively.

It’s not likely San Francisco’s seventh-round pick from 2018 winds up starting any of the team’s remaining four games. But with veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead a possible candidate to be cut before his fifth-year option kicks in, the 49ers may as well see what they have in Taylor to determine whether or not Armstead is expendable.

Even if Armstead winds up being a part of the team in 2019, defensive line rotations are important. The Niners already have a deep crop of linemen available, although using this timeframe to see what Taylor offers is going to be valuable to all future plans.