SANTA CLARA — Once again, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan turned the play-calling duties over to assistant coach Klay Kubiak.
Shanahan joined 14 presumptive 49ers starters who got the night off in the team’s second 2024 NFL preseason game of the summer.
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Brock Purdy started, but it was backup quarterback Josh Dobbs who supplied some highlights with his legs in the 49ers’ 16-10 win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium.
One of the more intriguing developments took place on the 800 level of Levi's Stadium in the 49ers' coaches booth.
Last week was the first time since the 2007 season that Shanahan did not call plays. He handed that duty over to Klay Kubiak, 35, the 49ers’ offensive passing game specialist.
On the other side, Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called the plays. Klint Kubiak, 37, served as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator last season before Saints coach Dennis Allen hired him this year to run the offense.
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Shanahan’s first opportunity to call plays came in 2008 with the Houston Texans while Gary Kubiak, father of Klint and Klay, was head coach.
Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s game:
Purdy, Offense Sputter
Purdy was one of just three projected 49ers offensive starters to take the field Sunday night.
The results were somewhat predictable.
Purdy was on the field for 11 snaps, and the offense managed just one first down and a grand total of 12 yards. The lone first down came when Purdy hit tight end Brayden Willis on a 6-yard gain on a second-and-5 play.
Purdy had an uneventful evening. He completed two of six pass attempts for 11 yards. He had time to throw, could not find open receivers and former 49ers edge rusher Chase Young chased him around for a couple of quarterback pressures.
Purdy also made one of his training-camp tosses that he threw up for grabs toward tight end Eric Saubert, who ended up playing defensive back and preventing the likely Shemar Jean-Charles interception.
Few of Purdy’s projected regular-season supporting cast stepped onto the field for this game. Some of those players are nursing injuries, such as running back Christian McCaffrey (calf strain), left guard Aaron Banks (fractured finger), and right guards Jon Feliciano (knee) and Spencer Burford (fractured hand).
Receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle were given the night off. And receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams remain out of action due to unresolved contract situations.
After Purdy played his three possessions, veteran Josh Dobbs entered the game. Dobbs is competing against Brandon Allen for the backup role.
Dobbs put his running skills on display in the first half, as he scrambled a couple of times for 24 yards. Then, he scored on a designed run when he made Saints safety Jordan Howden miss and took it in from 1 yard out.
Cowing Making An Impact
As a fourth-round draft pick, rookie receiver Jacob Cowing figured to practically have a regular-season roster spot guaranteed.
He did nothing to hurt his chances Sunday night.
Cowing and veteran Trent Taylor are the top candidates to open the season as the 49ers’ primary punt returner. If Cowing can prove he is reliable, he likely will win the job.
He returned two punts for 19 yards and flawlessly handled another fair catch.
And Cowing made an impact on offense, too. Cowing caught all four of his targets for 51 yards, including a 38-yard catch on a Dobbs throw.
On the first series of the second half, Cowing took a handoff from Allen on a jet sweep, turned the corner and gained 19 yards.
Cowing is likely to be the team’s fastest offensive player to make the 53-man roster. He ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in 4.38 seconds. The 49ers selected him with the No. 135 overall selection.
Taylor did himself no favors when he failed to come down with a catchable pass from Dobbs in the end zone in the first half.
Green Makes Case For Week 1
The 49ers’ biggest shortcoming a year ago might have been their inability to field a stable nickel defense.
San Francisco tried a number of combinations and could never get it right — all the way through the Super Bowl.
Rookie cornerback Renardo Green might be making the 49ers’ decision an easy one.
Green started at left cornerback and played well Sunday, including a pass breakup of a third-down Derek Carr pass intended for receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. Green also had two tackles.
The 49ers did not suit up starting cornerbacks Charvarius Ward or Deommodore Lenoir for the game. Lenoir has the ability to move inside to cover the slot receiver when the 49ers go with five defensive backs.
Green, whom the 49ers selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, also has seen considerable practice time at nickel back.
Veteran cornerback Isaac Yiadom has been out of action for nearly two weeks due to an ankle sprain. Green has taken advantage of that opening and might be closing in on a significant defensive role for the team’s Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets.
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