49ers get redemption, answers in preseason game vs Chargers

The San Francisco 49ers were left humbled by Tuesday’s joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers.Brock Purdy ran into a buzzsaw on one field, while Justin Herbert ran roughshod on the other.It was a different story when the teams met Thursday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

in the first preseason action for either starting quarterback and the most extended run yet for a few 49ers first-stringers.Both QBs played just one series, and their snap counts told the story just as much as the scoreboard.Purdy: 12, Herbert: three.

(At halftime: San Francisco 20, Los Angeles 3.)If there were three main characters: 1) Raheem Morris’ defense, which showed off a wider array of looks and was more disruptive than it was on Tuesday.2) De’Zhaun Stribling, who has played himself into the starting lineup in Melbourne.

And 3) Jacob Cowing, who raced 83 yards through defenders and into the end zone for a punt return touchdown.The punt-return gig is one of the few undecided jobs in camp, and the field was shaken up a bit when Deebo Samuel went back deep on the first two punts from JK Scott.Samuel, making his preseason debut, caught one pass on two targets for four yards.He’s been listed as the top kick returner on the depth chart since he signed his contract.

But he’s never returned a punt in his NFL career.He still hasn’t.He signaled for a fair catch twice, letting the first boot go by him and cleanly fielding the second at the 12-yard line, despite having some room to run. Cowing, who had been locked in a two-man competition with Jordan Watkins, didn’t let his opportunity pass him by.

A fourth-round pick in 2024, the speedy receiver missed all of last season after injuring his hamstring in the preseason.With one electric return, Cowing have just locked up a roster spot.The 49ers haven’t had a punt returner take one to the house since Ted Ginn Jr.

all the way back in 2011.The punt return team got in plenty of practice thanks to the defense’s redempt...