Key injury to 49ers veteran opens door for Dominick Puni to start right away

Rookie Dominick Puni might have been pegged to start at right guard in 2024 anyway, but an injury to another veteran just pushed this probability along further.

One of the many stories budding from the San Francisco 49ers' preseason campaign is how rookie offensive lineman Dominick Puni is looking more and more like a day-one starter.

In both of the Niners' exhibition bouts thus far, Puni has flashed signs of an established veteran, not a first-year player who was selected in Round 3 of the NFL Draft.

There's no shortage of respected league analysts and pundits highlighting Puni's play as a gross positive.

Injuries to other linemen, including left guard Aaron Banks (finger) and right guard Spencer Burford (hand) helped give Puni increased looks during both training camp and in the preseason. But another injury to a would-be starter helped push Puni deeper into the discussion to start right away in 2024.

Jon Feliciano to begin 2024 on injured reserve, Dominick Puni to benefit

During his Tuesday press conference, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters veteran lineman Jon Feliciano would start the year on injured reserve because of a knee injury that recently required surgery.

Feliciano had been dealing with the issue for much of the offseason, missing camp practices while hoping to avoid going under the knife.

This carries at least a four-week absence, meaning one fewer piece of the competition for an open right guard starting bid.

True, Burford is expected back by the regular season. So is Banks. But Puni appears to be the shoo-in choice for Shanahan to start at right guard, which is an added bonus to a San Francisco draft class that seems to be producing some quality players, including fourth-round safety Malik Mustapha, who has already made his preseason presence known.

Puni will still have to showcase his worthiness in the 49ers' final preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders this Friday, and Burford still remains in the mix as a first-team option.

However, given what fans have seen from the rookie to date, it's hard to see any other scenario than Puni locking down the starting gig at right guard when the regular season commences.

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