LAS VEGAS — Although there was no word of a resolution in the whole Brandon Aiyuk saga, the optics certainly suggested he’s still very much a member of the 49ers.
Aiyuk, taking part in a “hold-in” until he has a new contract, made the trip to Las Vegas with the team for the 49ers’ preseason finale.
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San Francisco wrapped its exhibition schedule with a 24-24 tie with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night at Allegiant Stadium.
The 49ers last played here on Feb. 11 in Super Bowl LVIII, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 25-22 in overtime.
San Francisco hopes to return to the big game this season and begins its long journey back on Monday, Sept. 9, against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium.
As the 49ers close in on the regular-season opener, things certainly have not gone as planned this summer.
San Francisco 49ers
Aiyuk and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams have not practiced because of their respective contract issues. The 49ers remain hopeful that both will be on the field for the opener, but how sharp can they be without taking part in training camp?
The 49ers canceled two joint practices with the New Orleans Saints last week when they feared they did not have enough healthy players for the rigorous workouts against another team.
In Friday’s preseason meeting with the Raiders, it was all about preparing for the start of the regular season.
Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle were the biggest stars to take the field. They exited the game unscathed. But two key additions to the team’s defense might not have been as fortunate.
Here are the takeaways from the 49ers’ final preseason game:
Injuries at key position
The 49ers through the years haven’t been able to find a consistent pass-rush threat opposite Nick Bosa.
This was supposed to be the year.
While Bosa watched the game from the sideline, the 49ers started their next two defensive ends: Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos.
Both players left the game with right knee injuries in the first quarter. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known, but any knee problem is an obvious reason for concern.
In what could be seen as a positive development, Floyd returned to the 49ers’ sideline in the second half to watch the conclusion of the game.
The 49ers signed Floyd to a two-year, $20 million contract in the offseason, after he registered 39.5 sacks over the previous four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.
Gross-Matos, a four-year veteran, is coming off a career-best 4.5-sack season with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. The 49ers signed him with the expectation that he could be a rotational player at defensive end on base downs and move inside to rush the passer.
The 49ers’ top defensive ends after Bosa, Floyd and Gross-Matos are Robert Beal Jr., Alex Barrett and Sam Okuayinonu.
Quality start from the 1s
The 49ers did not wait long to show what they hope will be a preview of the regular season.
Purdy immediately involved the 49ers’ star offensive players. He lofted a deep pass toward the left sideline for Samuel on the first snap of the game. Samuel went up to make the grab in front of Raiders rookie cornerback M.J. Devonshire for a 27-yard gain.
On the next play, Purdy found Kittle hanging out between the hash marks for a 15-yard pitch and catch.
Purdy and Kittle teamed up for the throw and catch of the game on the 49ers’ next drive.
On a third-and-6 play, Purdy delivered a pass a split-second before Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden smacked him. Kittle went up high to come down with a 19-yard completion between Las Vegas defensive backs Jaydon Grant and Kana’i Mauga.
The 49ers went on to score on Jordan Mason’s 4-yard touchdown run for a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Purdy completed nine of his first 11 pass attempts for 96 yards before his final throw of the evening was picked off. Cornerback Sam Webb deflected a pass intended for Samuel, and the ball went to safety Chris Smith, who grabbed it and returned it 31 yards.
First glimpse of Guerendo
The 49ers liked running back Isaac Guerendo so much around draft time that they traded up to select him in the fourth round.
Guerendo, the fastest running back at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, finally had an opportunity to show his speed Friday night.
And his 93-yard kickoff return might stand as Exhibit A as to why special-teams coaches around the league could opt to instruct their kickers to boot the ball through the end zone.
Under the NFL’s new kickoff rule, the starting point after touchbacks is the 30-yard line. Through two weeks of the exhibition season, the average starting point after kickoff returns was the 28.3-yard line.
But, as Guerendo demonstrated, the downside of allowing a kickoff return could have a huge impact on games.
Guerendo showed his 4.33 speed when he fielded Daniel Carlson’s kickoff at the 3-yard line, made it through the Raiders' first line of coverage near the left sideline and broke a Webb tackle attempt. Guerendo made Carlson miss, then angled all the way back across the field.
Webb finally caught up to him and tackled him at the Raiders’ 4-yard line.
Two plays later, Patrick Taylor Jr. scored on a 3-yard touchdown run for the 49ers.
The 49ers liked Guerendo's combination of size, speed and potential, even though he never started a game in college during his 27 games over five seasons at Wisconsin and 14 games last season at Louisville.
Guerendo sustained a hamstring injury in the 49ers’ first practice of training camp and returned to practice this week — just in time to get into the preseason finale.
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