The San Francisco 49ers’ snap counts through the first eight games send a loud message: Wait your turn, rookie.
Kyle Shanahan always has been stingy about giving rookies playing time. The last rookies to start every game were Mike McGlinchey and Fred Warner in 2018 when the 49ers were still in rebuilding mode. Even No. 2 draft pick and eventual defensive rookie of the year Nick Bosa didn’t start the first two games in 2019.
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This year, the phenomenon is more pronounced for a number of reasons: The team is chockablock with expensive veterans, the 49ers didn’t make their initial draft pick until late in the third round in April and several rookies are on injury lists.
The rookie leader in offensive or defensive snaps so far: seventh-rounder Ronnie Bell with 94.
Even second-year players have been having trouble getting snaps. Defensive lineman Kalia Davis has been a healthy scratch for all eight games while receiver Danny Gray, eligible to come off injured reserve at any point, doesn’t seem to have a spot on the active roster. Running back Tyrion Davis-Price has played seven snaps on offense, guard Nick Zakelj has none.
Here are the individual snap counts through Week 8. Rookies are listed in italics.
Quarterback: Brock Purdy 490, Sam Darnold 18, Kyle Juszczyk 1
Including the playoffs, Purdy played 533 snaps last season, which means he’s nearly duplicated his playing time total from a year ago. He has one more interception (5) than he did last season and four fewer touchdown throws (12). His passer rating this year is 105.4 vs. 108 last season.
An area in which he’s excelled through eight games: dodging pressure. Pro Football Focus rates the 49ers the sixth-worst team in terms of pass protection, having allowed 84 pressures through the first eight games. Yet only four teams have surrendered fewer sacks than the 49ers’ 14.
How is that possible? PFF also tracks the percentage of pressures that turn into sacks and Purdy has one of the top marks among starters, 13.4 percent, along with Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield and Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
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Running back: Christian McCaffrey 411, Juszczyk (fullback) 250, Elijah Mitchell 56, Jordan Mason 40, Deebo Samuel 21, Davis-Price 7, George Kittle, 4, Ross Dwelley 2, Ray-Ray McCloud III 1, Charlie Woerner 1
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The only tailbacks with more offensive snaps than McCaffrey are his Week 10 counterpart, Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne (448) and Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs 422.
McCaffrey is on pace to finish with 873 snaps, which would be the third highest of his career. He had 966 in 2018 and 1,039 in 2019, the year he had more than 1,000 rushing and receiving yards. He’s on pace to finish with 1,386 yards, which would leave him one yard short of his career best in 2019.
Receiver: Brandon Aiyuk 353, Samuel 266, Jauan Jennings 229, McCloud 162, Bell 94, Chris Conley 10, Willie Snead IV 8
Aiyuk missed a full game and was in and out of another after hurting his shoulder. Yet he’s on pace to finish with a career-high 1,417 yards. The Purdy-to-Aiyuk chemistry has been apparent this season, including on aggressive throws down the field. Aiyuk averages 17.7 yards a catch, which ranks third in the NFL, and he already has picked up 30 first downs. He had 47 in 17 games last season.
Bell’s 94 snaps lead San Francisco’s rookies, although he’s been targeted just four times so far despite Aiyuk, Samuel and Jennings missing at least one game each.
Brandon Aiyuk is among the NFL leaders in yards per catch this season. (Kelley L Cox / USA Today)Tight end: Kittle 443, Woerner 122, Dwelley 53, Brayden Willis 6
The 49ers drafted two tight ends this year, but neither has come close to dislodging veterans Woerner and Dwelley at the position. Third-rounder Cameron Latu, a slow starter this summer, will be on injured reserve all season after damaging the meniscus in his knee. Seventh-rounder Willis only has been active for two games and didn’t even play much on special teams in those contests.
That’s left Woerner as the clear choice at No. 2 tight end, which makes the offense a bit predictable when he enters the game. Nearly 70 percent of his snaps have been on running plays and he has yet to be targeted in the passing game this season. It should be noted that Woerner and safety George Odum have become the team’s top two special teams coverage players and that Woerner logs more special teams snaps than any other 49er.
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Offensive line: Spencer Burford 508, Colton McKivitz 504, Jake Brendel 493, Aaron Banks 476, Trent Williams 375, Jaylon Moore 133, Jon Feliciano 36, Matt Pryor 15
Entering the season, the 49ers knew McKivitz wouldn’t be as good at run blocking as their longtime right tackle, McGlinchey, who excels in that facet and who signed a free-agent deal with the Denver Broncos in March. But they thought he could be slightly better in pass protection.
It’s not exactly apples to apples considering their disparate opponents, but McKivitz has given up 18 quarterback pressures and five sacks through eight games while McGlinchey has surrendered 31 pressures and five sacks. McGlinchey also had given up five sacks by this point last season. McGlinchey’s run grade is 71.1 per PFF; McKivitz’s is 55.4.
As mentioned in a previous minutia minute, Burford has more penalties than any other offensive player. He also leads the team in pressures allowed:
- Burford 20
- McKivitz 18
- Brendel 15
- Banks 11
- Williams 8
- Moore 3
Defensive line: Bosa 414, Arik Armstead 357, Javon Hargrave 334, Clelin Ferrell 273, Drake Jackson 199, Javon Kinlaw 195, Kevin Givens 168, Randy Gregory 63, Kerry Hyder Jr. 59, Austin Bryant 36
Jackson averaged 35 snaps over the first four games and 15 over the last four. That suggests he’ll be the odd man out in the 49ers’ eight-man rotation on game days once Chase Young is ready to join the lineup.
In defending Bosa last week, general manager John Lynch cited the defensive end’s PFF numbers, which show him as one of the league’s highest-graded pass rushers with one of the top win rates. Bosa has 44 quarterback pressures this year versus 37 through his first eight games last season, per PFF. However, he has just three sacks versus 9 1/2 through the first eight last season.
Quarterback pressures
- Bosa 44
- Hargrave 26
- Armstead 20
- Kinlaw 15
- Ferrell 14
- Jackson 14
- Givens 10
- Gregory 6
- Hyder 4
- Bryant 3
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Linebacker: Fred Warner 497, Dre Greenlaw 402, Oren Burks 188, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles 45, Dee Winters 17
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A prominent issue during the 49ers’ three-game skid: missed tackles. The 49ers’ top three linebackers have 24 through the first eight games. A year ago, the group of Warner, Greenlaw, Burks and Azeez Al-Shaair (Al-Shaair was injured early on and Burks filled in) had 10 through the first eight games.
Missed tackles
- Warner 12
- Greenlaw 10
- Burks 2
- Flannigan-Fowles 1
Tackling from 49ers linebackers, including Dre Greenlaw, has not been as sharp this season. (Kyle Terada / USA Today)Cornerback: Charvarius Ward 486, Deommodore Lenoir 483, Isaiah Oliver 363, Ambry Thomas 85, Kendall Sheffield 23, Samuel Womack III 9, Anthony Brown 1
At one point, the 49ers thought Brown could become a dependable veteran backup at the cornerback spot. However, they released him last week, reinforcing that Thomas and perhaps Womack, who is poised to come off injured reserve, are the top backups on the outside.
The following are opponents’ passer ratings when targeting the 49ers’ top four cornerbacks so far this season:
- Oliver 109.5
- Thomas 94.3
- Ward 77.6
- Lenoir 76.8
Safety: Tashaun Gipson Sr. 495, Talanoa Hufanga 489, George Odum 34, Ji’Ayir Brown 26
During the spring, the 49ers teased about possibly using three-safety sets with Brown, their top draft choice. However, they not only haven’t used those, he’s clearly behind Odum on the depth chart.
Hufanga (4) and Gipson (3) have been part of the missed-tackle issue, but it’s worth noting that this was a bigger problem for Hufanga last season when he seemed to be coming in too hot on some of his tackle attempts. He had 13 misses through eight games last season before getting on top of the issue.
Special teams (only prominent players included): Woerner 175, Flannigan-Fowles 152, Odum 149, Dwelley 137, Mason 130, Ji’Ayir Brown 121, Jake Moody 80, Mitch Wishnowsky 74, Taybor Pepper 67, McCloud 67
Heading into Week 9, Odum led the league with nine special teams tackles. McCloud is averaging 10.1 yards on punt returns — he has just five through eight games — and 22.6 yards on kickoff returns, both of which are right around his career average.
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The 49ers, however, have yet to create a takeaway on special teams while McCloud’s longest punt return is 19 yards. That is, the 49ers haven’t had much sizzle on special teams.
(Top photo of Christian McCaffrey: Michael Zagaris / San Francisco 49ers / Getty Images)
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