49ers vs. Raiders preseason Week 3: 5 position battles fans must monitor

The 49ers wrap up their 2024 preseason campaign on Friday versus the Raiders, and these position battles are still up for grabs.

For the most part, every starting job the San Francisco 49ers have to offer entering 2024 has been taken.

That's the bonus of having a Super Bowl-caliber roster.

Yet head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad still has plenty of questions marks elsewhere, namely in reserve roles and rounding out the depth chart.

The final opportunity, at least one that's visible to the greater fanbase, to observe who's winning or losing this competition comes on Friday, Aug. 23, when the Niners face off against the Las Vegas Raiders for a preseason finale at Allegiant Stadium.

For nearly half of the 90-man preseason roster, Friday's contest will mark the final time many players will suit up for San Francisco, which places even more importance on the showdown versus Vegas.

Others, meanwhile, could stay on the regular-season roster but may find themselves reduced to lesser roles if they fail to win their respective competition.

Here are five position battles worth watching when the 49ers and Raiders square off.

No. 1: Backup quarterback

Quarterbacks are always of the high-profile variety in the preseason, even if they're not pegged as starters, and the Niners have a fairly provocative backup signal-caller competition going on between Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen.

Dobbs impressed in Week 2 of the preseason, whereas Allen has the advantage of a full year's immersion within Shanahan's offense.

Whoever performs the best against Las Vegas might be poised as the No. 2 option behind Brock Purdy in 2024, while undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai could be a dark horse to push the loser of this competition off the roster altogether.

No. 2: Reserve linebacker

With Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) sidelined for the immediate future, Fred Warner and De'Vondre Campbell are the only guaranteed options San Francisco has at linebacker.

That said, there are plenty of top candidates for backup roles in what's arguably the most contested roster competition the 49ers have going right now.

Dee Winters, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Jalen Graham, Curtis Robinson and rookie Tatum Bethune all can lay claim to one of four spots the Niners will likely use behind Warner and Campbell, meaning one of those names ultimately won't make the cut but probably did everything possible to do so.

No. 3: Last 2 wide receiver spots

Assuming San Francisco keeps six wide receivers on its 53-man roster, four of the jobs are taken almost by default, going to Deebo Samuel, Brandon AIyuk, Jauan Jennings and rookie Ricky Pearsall.

Yet there are plenty of bodies vying for those final two openings.

Headlined by rookie Jacob Cowing, who made an impressive exhibition debut against the New Orleans Saints a week ago, the 49ers will have to also choose from others like the veteran, Trent Taylor, Tay Martin, Robbie Chosen, Danny Gray and Ronnie Bell, meaning some relatively well-known names aren't going to be around when Week 1 of the regular season arrives.

Whoever stands out for the right reasons on Friday night probably gets the call.

No. 4: Defensive line depth

As is the case at wide receiver, the Niners' starting defensive line is pretty much set with Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd the opening cast.

But the reserve roles are almost entirely up for grabs here.

Yetur Gross-Matos is a top backup option, while another offseason free-agent pickup in Jordan Elliott should be there, too. However, there'll need to be decisions regarding others like T.Y. McGill, Robert Beal Jr., Nick Williams, Kevin Givens and Alex Barrett, who has been notably impressive through the preseason thus far after perennially being a member of San Francisco's practice squad.

Should the 49ers prioritize edge rushers or beef up the interior? Does anyone from that crop of backups stand out enough?

No. 5: Final running back spot

It might not matter on the surface, since the Niners are going to feature the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Christian McCaffrey, at running back.

But, one way or another, San Francisco is going to bid farewell to a notable tailback between now and the regular season.

Third-year pro Jordan Mason appears to have locked up a role, while rookie Isaac Guerendo has been cleared from a hamstring injury that's kept him out of preseason action thus far. Assuming those two are safe, there's one more spot available on the depth chart.

Elijah Mitchell has been banged up (again) with a hamstring injury, while special teams ace and offseason pickup Patrick Taylor Jr. hasn't been seen this preseason. Undrafted rookie Cody Schrader has been getting a lot of looks and touches, while veteran Matt Breida is back but hasn't made much of a dent late in games.

Only one of those names is likely to make the cut, meaning the rest will have to go after the 49ers wrap up their preseason against the Raiders on Friday night.

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