SANTA CLARA–Two years ago, C.J. Beathard and Cardale Jones quarterbacked their respective teams to double digit-win seasons and helped their squads finish atop their respective divisions.
The 2015 season had a different type of meaning for Beathard and Jones, who were both quarterbacks of Big 10 teams that year, with Beathard leading the Iowa Hawkeyes and Jones taking snaps for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Beathard and Jones never faced each other that season, but on Thursday night, they started against one another in the fourth and final preseason game for Beathard’s 49ers and Jones’ Chargers.
In the grand scheme of things, the fourth preseason contest is practically meaningless. It’s a terrible indication of what to expect from a team during the regular season, and most teams’ starters don’t even play. On Thursday, the 49ers defeated the Chargers 23-13 to finish the preseason with a 2-2 record, but of every game San Francisco will play over the course of the calendar year, the final score from this contest holds the least value.
That’s not to say that Thursday’s game was bereft of storylines. Though SAM linebacker Eli Harold was the only member of the 49ers’ starting 22 who appeared against Los Angeles, plenty of players, including Beathard, used the last preseason outing to make their closing statements in their bid to make San Francisco’s 53-man roster.
The 49ers’ third round draft choice had his spot on San Francisco’s team all but locked up heading into training camp, but he continued to impress with many aspects of his play on Thursday, including on a highlight reel run that stole headlines during the first half.
With the 49ers and Chargers tied 3-3 midway through the second quarter, Beathard dropped back on second down and eight looking to find a receiver. Beathard quickly realized, however, that there was plenty of green grass in front of him, and he took off scrambling. After breaking toward his right, the rookie used a nice block from fullback Tyler McCloskey to break back toward the right and leave two Chargers’ defenders grasping at the air. Even with a few Chargers’ defensive backs within range, Beathard outran everyone on the field and punctuated a 62-yard touchdown run by diving for the pylon to help give his team a 10-3 lead.
Beathard’s run breathed life into Levi’s Stadium, and a few minutes later, undrafted rookie receiver Victor Bolden brought 49ers’ fans to their feet yet again.
The Oregon State product fielded a punt inside the 49ers’ 10-yard line, sprinted upfield and then left the Chargers’ coverage unit in the dust as he scampered 92 yards for his second return touchdown of the preseason. With veteran Jeremy Kerley’s roster status in doubt, Bolden may have done enough with his return to seal up a roster spot and earn the 49ers’ starting returner duties heading into 2018.
Kerley, who didn’t record a catch on Thursday, isn’t the only 49ers’ veteran whose roster status is in jeopardy, either.
After San Francisco used a fourth round draft choice on running back Joe Williams and added impressive undrafted rookie Matt Breida as a free agent, veterans Tim Hightower and Kapri Bibbs had a chance to help their cause with their showing against Los Angeles. They didn’t exactly convince first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan to keep their around, as Hightower and Bibbs combined for 31 yards and 10 carries through the first three quarters.
Though the 49ers’ walked away with a convincing victory, only one player aside from Bolden used Thursday’s game as a chance to beg San Francisco to keep him around. That player was defensive back Asa Jackson, who finished with a pair of impressive interceptions that highlighted his ability to break on the ball. The 49ers’ cornerback unit is among the least stable position groups on the roster, and with a lack of proven options, perhaps Jackson’s two-pick night inspires the franchise to keep him around as a fifth corner.
Ultimately, the 49ers don’t need to cut their roster from 90 players to 53 players until Saturday, but now that Thursday’s game is in the books, the trimming process will begin.