SANTA CLARA — Jimmy Garoppolo will play in his first preseason game with the 49ers Thursday night, but don’t expect to see him for long.
After Tuesday’s practice, Kyle Shanahan said both the first-team offense and defense will “definitely” play at least one series when the 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys Thursday at 7 p.m.
“He’ll play somewhat into the first quarter,” Shanahan said. “We’ll see how long the opening drive is. Usually, the second game you play guys a little more into the second quarter. Usually, the third game they play the whole first half and sometimes start the third quarter. Then, the fourth game they rarely play.”
Garoppolo has had an impressive training camp, showing all the signs of the franchise quarterback the 49ers expect, and signed him, to be. He signed a then-record-breaking five-year, $137.5 million contract back in February.
Most encouraging for the 49ers, Garoppolo’s long ball, his biggest weakness from 2017, has improved in recent practices. He launched a deep ball in stride to a streaking Aldrick Robinson for a 70-yard touchdown Tuesday. On Monday, he ended practice with a 40-yard touchdown to Marquise Goodwin in the left corner of the end zone.
But we already knew the quarterback outlook. Besides punter, the right guard spot is the only open competition for a starting spot. Joshua Garnett has dealt with a lingering knee issue—which he is getting second opinions on— and is expected to progress back to the field next week.
Both Garnett and Jonathan Cooper, the top two right guards on the roster, have been been ruled out of Thursday’s preseason opener.
Cooper returned to camp last week from a knee injury. The former Dallas Cowboys guard participated in 11-on-11 drills Tuesday, but he is being eased back into a full workload. He will continue sharing practice time with Mike Person and Erik Magnuson.
Shanahan identified the importance of the right guard spot earlier in camp. On Tuesday, he said he is “very intrigued” with Cooper’s progress.
“I think it’s very similar to Garnett’s situation,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got two guys who are former first-round picks, which shows you right there that they have a lot of ability. But, neither of them have played a lot of football. They both have battled some tough injuries. They’re guys that should have the ability to help us, but they’ve got to show it.”
As for other relevant notes, Jimmie Ward (hamstring) returned to practice and participated in 11-on-11 drills in each of the past two practices. He will replace cornerback Richard Sherman, who is dealing with a minor hamstring injury, in the starting lineup Thursday night.
Defensive lineman Arik Armstead (hamstring) and defensive back K’Waun Williams (ankle) have been ruled out Thursday.