49ers Notes: A bad surprise, injury roundup, and why joint practices were canceled
“Given the lack of serious practices reps, the natural response is to have the 49ers play their starters a bit more than usual against the Saints.
The way the team practices Monday seemed to hint at that. They ran with no pads and leaned heavily on the starters, Shanahan said, to give the backups a rest after the preseason game, and because the first team needed them. But it also felt like a chance to let the starters get a bit of a rhythm if they are to play in the preseason.