San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan praised quarterback Sam Darnold's performance in the team's first preseason game Sunday versus the Las Vegas Raiders. Via The Athletic's David Lombardi:
“I thought he did a great job,” Shanahan said. “Came in there in the second half. You're there with the twos and threes (second- and third-team) on the O-line, same with the receivers. So we wanted to be careful with Sam.”
Darnold, who signed a one-year deal with the 49ers in March, impressed teammates with his offseason growth. Darnold is viewed as the 49ers' third-string quarterback behind Brock Purdy and Trey Lance, but he figures to be a reliable option if he performs to the level coaches and teammates have said he's been at.
The 49ers lost Sunday's game to the Raiders, 34-7. Darnold played three series — which resulted in a turnover on downs, fumbled and missed field goal — in the second half.
San Francisco is perceived to be an NFC favorite. The 49ers advanced to the conference championship game in 2022 and were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-7. However, San Francisco lost Purdy in the game due to a torn UCL.
Darnold played the last two seasons for the Carolina Panthers. He started six games in 2022 and had 1,143 passing yards and seven touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 58.6 percent of his passes.
Darnold, who played college football with USC, was picked by the New York Jets with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He played three seasons in New York before he was traded to Carolina before the 2021 season.
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