Niner Noise Podcast breaks down 49ers' first preseason game

Your favorite San Francisco 49ers podcast hosts, Robert Morrison and Akshaj Dwivedula, are back with the latest episode of the Niner Noise Podcast.

During the episode, the guys use the 49ers' first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders as a springboard to talk about a variety of topics, mostly centered around how the battles for various positions are shaking out. Some of those are the same positions that have been discussed for weeks now, but there are a few players who may be forcing the hand of the coaching staff to make some noise as roster cuts loom.

Chief among those is the cornerback room, which felt fairly set, especially with the three starters, heading into training camp. Outside corners Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir looked primed to hold down their starting positions from last season with newly signed free agent Isaiah Oliver stepping in and taking over the role of nickel corner after the free-agent departure of Jimmie Ward to the Houston Texans.

But Oliver's play, along with the reemergence of third-year man Ambry Thomas, appears to be shaking up the unit, and reports out of camp after the Raiders game have your podcast hosts talking about what the future of the position could be.

Other areas of interest during the episode include the linebackers outside of cemented-in starters Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, rookie wide receiver Ronnie Bell's rise in the wake of the injury to Ray-Ray McLoud, along with the curious case of the missing TE2 on this roster that seems to be continuing into 2023.

And, of course, there's talk about the ever-present battle between Trey Lance and Sam Darnold for the backup quarterback position behind Brock Purdy and whether the Raiders game changed the heierarchy for the role.

Lastly, Nick Bosa and his contract are discussed, with Akshaj making a bold prediction about how this situation will impact the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year's 2023 season.

Check out the latest episode wherever you get your podcasts or via the pod's RedCircle page.

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