49ers Starters Will Play in Final Preseason Game Confirms Kyle Shanahan

Kyle Shanahan confirms that the 49ers will play their starters in the preseason finale against the Texans.

The second preseason game against the Vikings was a snoozefest.

It is about what you'd expect from a preseason matchup that didn't involve any starters. Considering that the 49ers play three games in a two-week span, it makes sense why the starters were rightfully held out.The final preseason game for the 49ers takes place on Thursday night against the Texans. And this time, the starters will be on hand as expected and confirmed by Kyle Shanahan.

"Most of the guys who didn’t dress for this game should be able -- we'd like to get in this game, it won't be all of them," said Shanahan. "But we'd like the starters to be able to, most of the starters, to be able to play in this game. And then when you take the starters out you have to make sure you have enough guys to finish the game, so they'll continue being the guys who probably started last game.” 

Shanahan could have easily changed his mind when it comes to playing the starters, and he still can. But getting this last bit of work in with a little less than a few weeks before Week 1 of the regular season will benefit. Injuries will always be the main concern with playing the starters in the preseason finale, but injuries happen all the time. These starters need a good kickstarter and warm-up before the regular season with a few drives on Thursday.

I wouldn't expect any more than a quarter of playing time out of the starters. At the very least, a few drives to get the adrenaline going and knock off any rust. Then the 49ers just have to pull them out immediately. You have to wonder if Shanahan will play Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel, and Nick Bosa. These three tend to be the most treated with caution. I wouldn't expect them to.

Thursday night will arrive in a blink of an eye for the 49ers, but it'll be just one more step closer to beginning their 2022 campaign.