49ers vs. Vikings preseason: Niners who desperately need a bounce-back game

49ers bounce-back player No. 1: Cornerback Ambry Thomas

Throughout training camp, one player many a Niners fan wanted to see trend upwards was the 2021 third-round rookie, cornerback Ambry Thomas, who finished his first year in the NFL on a positive note after struggling over the first half.

However, Thomas’ camp efforts were not good, and it appears as if the inconsistency showed up in Week 1 of the preseason, too, giving up one catch for 12 yards on one of his two targets, then being flagged for illegal contact on the other.

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With Jimmie Ward out, along with presumed starting corners Charvarius Ward and Emmanuel Moseley, San Francisco is going to be shorthanded within its secondary for the game, meaning players like Thomas should see plenty of field time.

At this point, though, it’s looking as if the 49ers’ fifth-round addition from last year, Deommodore Lenoir, is much closer to cracking the regular-season roster than Thomas.

Particularly based on both camp and last Friday’s matchup against Green Bay.

Thomas will get another crack at things, though, when the Niners square off in exhibition action against the Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. ET from U.S. Bank Stadium.