3 stars from the 49ers first preseason game: Hello, Junior Bergen

Back when Drew Carey hosted the improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway, he would start every show by saying, “It’s the show where everything is made up and the points don’t matter.”

That would be the case for the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason opener against the Denver Broncos on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium. Denver won the game by scoring plenty more points than the 49ers, but that doesn’t matter.

What does matter is the individual performances of players trying to earn their way onto the 53-man roster at the end of the month. The defense shone against Denver’s first-team offense, a rookie receiver made an impact on the opening drive, and the 49ers saw a punt return they haven’t seen often under Kyle Shanahan.

While the 49ers dropped their preseason opener, several individuals stood out. Here are the three stars from Saturday night’s preseason opener:

Third star: PR Junior Bergen

Sometimes, all it takes is one play to earn a spot as a star of the game, and Bergen’s first and only touch of the game did just that.

Bergen made a name for himself at Montana with his explosive punt returns, so it should come as no surprise that’s just where his first impact play (hopefully of many) happened on Saturday night.

Denver was able to work their way to midfield on its opening drive but stalled out, resulting in a punt. Jeremy Crawshaw unloaded a punt that Bergen fielded at the San Francisco 15-yard line, flipping the field. Bergen used a quick move to get past Garrett Nelson, and with the space, he was able to flip the field, bringing the ball back towards midfield with a 28-yard punt return, starting the 49ers’ next drive at the 43-yard line.

The punt return game is something the 49ers haven’t been able to figure out under Kyle Shanahan, and has proven to be more of a hindrance than a positive in recent seasons. Had Bergen’s return on Saturday happened in the regular season, it would have been the fifth-longest return of the Shanahan era. The list is as follows:

Trent Taylor (Week 6 versus Washington, 2017) – 39 yards

Ray-Ray McCloud (Week 6 versus Atlanta, 2022) – 35 yards

Richie James (Week 5 versus Cleveland, 2019) – 32 yards

Jacob Cowing (Week 10 versus Tampa Bay, 2024) – 30 yards

After that, Bergen would be next with his 28-yard return against Denver, but the preseason doesn’t matter. Bergen made a good first impression on Saturday, but his spot on the 53-man roster depends on whether Shanahan is comfortable with holding a roster spot for a returner only. Bergen showed his value with his lone punt return in the preseason opener.

Second star: WR Jordan Watkins

With injuries galore at the position, the depth chart is as wide open as it’s ever been under Shanahan. With Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings injured and Ricky Pearsall getting the night off, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins both got a chance to secure their spot on the depth chart.

Watkins won the first battle on Saturday night. 

While Robinson saw the first target of the night – a modest eight-yard reception to open the game – Watkins made the first (and only) impact play for the offense. 

Facing a third down on the opening drive, Watkins was able to slip past Ja’Quan McMillian on a fade route from the slot, hauling in a perfectly thrown ball from Mac Jones. Watkins was then able to slip past the diving McMillian to run for another large chunk of yards, before being stopped by former-49er Talanoa Hufanga. When it was all said and done, Watkins and the 49ers offense gained 50 yards on the play, setting up the offense’s only score of the game.

Now, Watkins wasn’t without his growing pains. A couple of drives later, Watkins floated on an out route, allowing McMillian to step in front for Jones’ lone interception on the night. Had Watkins been in a better position, he could have either made the catch or been in a position to at least break up the pass.

Nonetheless, Watkins led the 49ers with three receptions for 56 yards, with the 50-yard reception doing the heavy lifting. With a severe lack of depth at the position, the rookie made a solid first impression that should give him more looks the rest of the preseason. 

First star: CB Chase Lucas

With Upton Stout likely having already won the starting spot in the slot, Chase Lucas had an opportunity to shine, and he did exactly that.

The 2022 seventh-round pick played a couple of seasons with the Detroit Lions, but didn’t play a snap for the 49ers in 2024 after the team signed him early in the offseason. While Lucas has only played six snaps on defense in his career, he got his chance on Saturday and wasted little time making an impact.

Thomas Morestead’s punt placed the Broncos offense inside the 10-yard line to start Denver’s second drive of the night. Denver opened the drive with a pass, but a Lucas unblocked blitz from the slot disrupted Bo Nix’s checkdown attempt to RJ Harvey, forcing an incomplete pass. Two plays later, a Tatum Bethune blitz forced Nix to spin around and roll left, right into another unblocked blitz from Lucas, with the pressure from the cornerback forcing Nix to throw the ball away while in the pocket and the endzone, resulting in a safety and San Francisco’s final two points of the game.

On the next drive, Lucas again found a way to make an impact, this time in coverage. With Denver facing a third-and-5, Nix attempted to float a pass to Troy Franklin, who had a step on Lucas. While the throw could have been better, Lucas made a play on the ball, getting his hand up and knocking the ball down to force a fourth down. Denver would convert that fourth down – with a Nix completion to Franklin against Lucas – but the drive ultimately ended in a field goal.

Luas finished the game with a team-high eight tackles, a pass deflection, and a few pressures. Cornerback is one of the shallowest position groups the 49ers have, giving that much more impact to Lucas’ performance on Saturday.