49ers roster: 5 players who should be in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse
By Peter Panacy
It’s not good for 49ers players to be called out or scrutinized by head coach Kyle Shanahan, and these five Niners are in danger of being so.
Generally speaking, it’s an ominous sign if a San Francisco 49ers player ends up in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse.
While not always, often a player who winds up finding himself on Shanahan’s bad side doesn’t end up having much of a future with the team. Case in point, Shanahan and the Niners parted ways with former second-round NFL Draft pick, wide receiver Dante Pettis, during his third year after Shanahan essentially called him out the year before.
Former running back Matt Breida fell out of favor with Shanahan because of fumbling issues late in 2019, and there have been other players Shanahan wanted off the roster for one reason or another, too.
With the 2021 regular season right around the corner and one more giant wave of roster cuts looming before Week 1, these five players are likely trying their hardest to get out of Shanahan’s doghouse but face an uncertain future nonetheless.
No. 5: 49ers Tight End MyCole Pruitt
San Francisco brought aboard veteran tight end MyCole Pruitt during the offseason to provide some competition and act as a potential upgrade over second-year pro Charlie Woerner.
Both tight ends are known for their blocking abilities, yet Pruitt has a bit of an edge in the receiving game. If the 49ers liked what they saw in Pruitt, waiving Woerner might have been the route Shanahan took ahead of Week 1.
Yet Pruitt was sidelined for the Niners’ first preseason game of the year with an injury. And his second outing didn’t exactly generate positive results, namely due to Pruitt being called for two holding penalties, one of which wiped out a 15-yard rush gain by running back Wayne Gallman.
Pruitt didn’t see much action after that second penalty, albeit it was in the fourth quarter anyway. But given San Francisco has other options at the back end of the depth chart, namely Woerner and Jordan Matthews, it’s probably a safe bet Pruitt didn’t do himself any favors in preseason Week 2.