49ers news: 4 things to watch on Monday Night Football against the Jets

The 49ers kick off the 2024 season against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Each team may be on the opposite coast, but there are many similarities between the two franchises. Here’s what to look for on Monday night.

Old friends

Javon Kinlaw, DJ Reed, Isaiah Oliver, and Solomon Thomas return to Levi’s Stadium for a reunion. Thomas and Kinlaw are former first-round picks for the 49ers, while Oliver was a free agent signing last season, and Reed was drafted in the fifth round in 2018 before departing for Seattle in 2020.

Jeff Ulbrich spent his entire playing career with San Francisco and is now the Jets defensive coordinator. Robert Saleh took over as the Jets head coach in 2021 after spending four seasons as the 49ers defensive coordinator. Saleh and Kyle Shanahan frequently matched wits during practices and meetings, so the chess match between the two former colleagues is intriguing.

Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk

After missing training camp, it will be interesting to see how Aiyuk and Williams respond with their first real action in 2024. Shanahan spoke to the media and stated that neither player is “limited” during practice, but did add this when asked what the workload could look like for the two players and whether Aiyuk could play 98 percent of the snaps:

“Yeah, I’d be surprised with that, but I expect that I’d be surprised with 98 percent. But I’ll see as the week goes. We’ve had one practice with him. He threw with Brock over the weekend. We got one practice with Trent. Today will be their second. We’ll see how they are these three days and then kind of evaluate it.”

Williams will be asked to be on the field for every offensive snap, but it will be interesting to see Aiyuk’s usage on Monday night.

Christian McCaffrey’s usage and injury

Shanahan updated McCaffrey’s practice participation while adding McCaffrey’s injury is a “calf/Achilles.” Ian Rapaport reported McCaffrey “should be fine” to play Monday. However, with the nature of the injury and the emergence of Jordan Mason during the preseason, one has to wonder if McCaffrey’s workload will be scaled back a bit.

The Jets’ run defense was less than stellar last season, and their secondary is a strength, so the 49ers will likely lean on the running game to open the passing game up for Brock Purdy and the offense.

The Secondary

Heading into 2024, the 49ers secondary is a strength. During Shanahan’s time as head coach, the secondary has never been stronger. Mooney Ward and Deommodore Lenoir combine as one of the best duos in the NFL, with the promising young safety Ji’Ayir Brown ready to take a leap in year 2 at safety. The question is, who will start opposite Brown? Talanoa Hufanga was a limited participant this week in practice, which gives him a chance at playing on Monday. However, if Hufanga can’t go, then George Odum looks to step in for the former All-Pro.

49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen confirmed Isaac Yiadom would be the third cornerback behind Lenoir and Ward at Friday’s press conference. Last season, Lenoir would start outside and kick inside on obvious passing downs with extra receivers on the field.