Getty Tevin Coleman rushing for the San Francisco 49ers.
As the San Francisco 49ers prepare to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, Jon Lynch has called in the reinforcements from the practice squad, elevating running back Telvin Coleman and defensive back Dontae Johnson.
Set to appear in his fifth game for the Niners this season, Coleman will join a running backs corps headlined by Christian McCaffrey, who has been hampered with a knee injury over the past few weeks, Tyrion Davis-Price, who hasn’t logged a snap since Week 7, and Jordan Mason, who logged a career-high eight snaps in Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins.
The hero of Week 5, who recorded three touchdowns over just 19 offensive snaps, Coleman is a reliable veteran with 26 games in Kyle Shanahan’s offense under his belt who could fill the Elijah Mitchell role if need be against the Buccaneers.
Johnson, the long-time 49ers defensive back who has appeared in 101 games since being drafted by the team in the fourth round out of North Carolina State in 2014, has appeared in just one game this season so far, logging 18 defensive snaps against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. With Tarvarius Moore unable to practice all week with a knee injury, Johnson may be an injury away from being thrust into action once more.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Have Reinforcements Of Their Own
While the 49ers will have Coleman, Johnson, and Nick Bosa, who is expected to play after missing all week of practice, at their disposal against the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay will have additional reinforcements of their own, too, with running back Leonard Fournette and defensive lineman Akiem Hicks both expected to play according to Ian Rapoport.
After they both missed practice on Friday with foot injuries, Fournette and Hicks will provide the Buccaneers with proven starters at positions of need, even if their on-field roles are limited.
Todd Bowles Comments On The San Francisco 49ers’ New QB1
As the Buccaneers prepare to face off against the 49ers, Todd Bowles was asked about how he hopes to game plan for Brock Purdy, San Francisco’s rookie quarterback who doesn’t even have a professional start on his football resume. Even if Purdy isn’t the most experienced passer in the NFL, Bowles surmises that Shanahan’s scheme will still be tough to stop, as detailed by Pewter Report.
“You try to go up against the scheme. They’ve got a lot of talented players over there – they’re not going to change their scheme just because somebody else is at quarterback,” Bowles said. “I think [49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] does a great job of doing things that the quarterback is comfortable doing – they have a great knowledge of the system and they have a wide variety of things they can do to make him feel comfortable.”
“He’s talented to begin with or he wouldn’t be in this league. But they have a lot of talented players around him and he’s going up against a great defense everyday in practice. He’s not going to be nervous, he’s going to play his game – we just have to play ours. It’s not about the quarterback, it’s about all 11 guys on the offense.”
Is Bowles correct? Is it about all 11 guys on offense, or will the 49ers live or die based on Purdy’s play? Fortunately, fans will find out soon enough.
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