Left Guard Is Down To Two And The Last Practice Of Camp Is Over

Somebody opened Kyle Shanahan's availability on Tuesday by asking whether that had been the final day of training camp, and he corrected the premise before answering it. "No, it's our last practice," he said. "We've got to walk through tomorrow and then final preseason game."

So camp is out of practices. The one job on the offensive line that opened in July is down to two men, and the evidence left to settle it is one preseason game at Las Vegas.

Shanahan named the field and it is Connor Colby and Carver Willis. His words: "It's close to being decided, and it needs to be close. Today is the second to last day that we'll get to evaluate. We'll get it on the game. You've got (Connor Colby) and you've got (Carver Willis) who are both competing there. And we've got (Robert Jones) who's been hurt, so we've got to balance that off, not having him the last two weeks." Matt Maiocco had Willis taking the first-team snaps at the session. Brett Toth, who was a candidate here in early August, was not mentioned.

Robert Jones is out of the race he led. The club's first unofficial depth chart of the year, published August 11, listed him as the starting left guard. He has a calf now, and Shanahan put the prognosis on him and Austen Pleasants at "around Australia. Yes. Hopefully we'll get them for our three practices before we go." Maiocco reads that as Jones practising this weekend, which is tighter than the answer itself carries. Both readings agree on Thursday: he will not be in it.

Dominick Puni got through the practice and then reported that he had not. "Puni had some residual effects. He was in the protocol, got out. He complained of some residual things after practice today, so he's most likely back in it," Shanahan said. Puni is the starting right guard and cleared the concussion protocol on Saturday. He is on nobody's list of Tuesday absentees, so this is a man who finished the last session of camp and went back into the protocol afterwards, beside a job the club still has to fill.

Two names entered the injured-reserve conversation, both hedged. Asked whether Christian Kirk could start the season there, Shanahan said: "Yes, possibly. We've got a number of guys like that, so we've got to see how that pans out here over the next few days." Asked immediately afterwards whether Vederian Lowe was one of those, he said "Yes." Kirk has not practised since straining a calf on July 27, which is the whole of camp.

Who did not practise depends on when you looked. David Bonilla, filing as the session began, had Mike Evans, Kirk, Kyle Juszczyk, Kurtis Rourke and Nick Bosa out. Maiocco, filing afterwards, had Evans, Upton Stout, Jacob Cowing, Romello Height and Juszczyk. Shanahan supplied the body parts: a tight groin for Evans, a groin for Cowing, a hip flexor for Stout, all three hoped back next week. Next week is after the game.

Height's injury has a name. Asked what it was, Shanahan said, "Romello, ankle." That is a second missed practice for a rookie who had been getting designated-rusher work. Juszczyk's finger is fractured, per Bonilla, who had him on a side field. Neither man got a timeline from anybody.

Kurtis Rourke broke three ribs. Jordan James broke his somewhere worse, which is the distinction Shanahan drew when he was asked whether the two were the same injury. "No, it was different. Jordan James' was worse, just where it was," he said. "He's close this week, probably won't go tomorrow or Thursday, but should be good after that."

What the practice produced. Maiocco had Brock Purdy finding De'Zhaun Stribling down the sideline against Jack Jones and Marques Sigle for 40 yards, plus red-zone touchdowns to Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell. Grant Cohn had the same Stribling catch at 30, and had him at four receptions for roughly 80 yards while playing through a shoulder injury. Sigle intercepted Purdy on a ball meant for Demarcus Robinson; Maiocco has it deflected off Robinson's hands, Cohn has Purdy forcing it over the middle. Cohn also had Christian McCaffrey practising for a second straight day.

Bosa and George Kittle are both aimed at the week after this one. "I'm hoping that he can get into practice next week," Shanahan said of Bosa. Kittle has been held to non-competitive work, "the first four periods, routes on air." Thursday will be played largely without the men above them on the depth chart either. "I don't think you'll see many starters," Shanahan said. "We just don't have enough time as we usually do, so I'll be surprised if any of them are out there."

Transactions. The club's log, read in a browser at 2:55 p.m. PT, dates the Deion Jones trade August 25 and the Viliami Fehoko Jr. signing and Josiah Deguara release August 24. Renardo Green was not named among Tuesday's absent by anybody who published a list, and no question about his hamstring was put to Shanahan.

On the 53-man tracker: Height 8 to 7 on the ankle and the second missed session, Kirk and Lowe 7 to 6 apiece on the coach's injured-reserve answer, Cowing 7 to 6 on the injury designation his row had been waiting for since Sunday. Deion Jones enters at 6 and outside a linebacker room that already projects six. Nobody crossed the cut line. The roster is due at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday.

Sources: Kyle Shanahan's Tuesday availability transcript, 49ers Webzone, August 25; David Bonilla, 49ers Webzone, August 25; Matt Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area, August 25; Grant Cohn, Sports Illustrated, August 25; the 49ers' own transaction log and roster page, read August 25; the club's practice and media schedule for the week, 49ers Webzone, August 21.