5 49ers with the most to gain in preseason Week 1 vs. Cowboys

The San Francisco 49ers kick off their 2019 NFL preseason campaign at home against the Dallas Cowboys, and these five players stand to gain the most during the contest.

While any NFL preseason gets old quickly for both veteran players and fans, the 2019 edition is particularly crucial for a number of San Francisco 49ers either on the fringes of the regular-season roster or vying for key spots on the depth chart this upcoming year.

For these kinds of players, preseason contests are very important. Considering many of the Niners starters won’t see much of the field, if any at all, the increased reps and looks could mean the difference between solid placement on the 53-man roster or being left off it altogether.

San Francisco opens up its 2019 NFL preseason campaign at home against the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan is likely to hold back playing some of his established starters, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, giving other players valuable field time early.

Other key players are probably going to be held back, too.

By looking at these preseason bouts as extensions of training camp, where position battles and competition are heightened, one can see how those bubble-watch players will need to perform at their best. Especially considering they’ll be matching up against different competition from the Cowboys, for a change.

Here are five such Niners players who stand to gain the most from their performances versus Dallas this weekend.