SANTA CLARA — The first play of Joshua Garnett’s night is all you needed to see.
Kyle Shanahan called a run to Garnett’s side, and he pancaked the opposing lineman in the first quarter of San Francisco’s 23-21 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. After the play, Garnett stood up and yelled out of triumph, knowing a convincing opening snap sets the tone for the rest of the game. He saw the play call as a confidence boost to his abilities.
“If you have a chance to come downhill on the guy the first play, then that will really set the tone for the rest of the game,” Garnett said postgame. “I try to be ultra-aggressive the first play to try to get in the d-lineman’s head a little bit or really try to show him, ‘Hey, it’s going to be a long night.’”
The opening snap represents Garnett’s renewed mindset entering his third NFL season.
After San Francisco used its 2016 first-round pick on him, he disappointed in 11 starts during his rookie season and missed all of last year with a knee injury. In the opening week of this training camp, Garnett experienced another knee injury — a “hiccup,” as he calls it. Seemingly no one, including Shanahan, seemed to have a firm grasp on the injury’s severity.
“It’s tough to make this team and do it if you’re not out there,” Shanahan said during the first week of training camp. “I was a little surprised Garnett didn’t make it (Wednesday). I’d be more surprised if he’s not out there (Thursday).”
As Garnett sat, journeyman Mike Person gained ground at the starting right guard spot, the lone position without a clear-cut starter entering camp.
On paper, Garnett, 24, looks the part of the 49ers’ starting right guard. He’s more athletic and powerful than Person, who is on his eighth NFL stint and sixth NFL team. But the 30-year-old has simply been healthier and more consistent, from the start of training camp through three preseason games as the starter. He did not suit up in Thursday’s preseason finale, signifying his current role as the Week 1 starter.
Garnett may not say he feels urgency, but his answers imply it.
“It’s been a long road since rookie year,” Garnett said. “I wanted to come out here and remind the Faithful who I am and why I was selected to come play here, and what I can do and bring to the team and what I can bring to the Faithful and what I can bring to the offense.”
Garnett has experienced the odd dynamic of competing for a starting spot with merely making the roster.
That reality epitomizes the roller coaster that has been Garnett’s career. His trajectory has swung to and fro from year one to year three. All signs pointed upward, however, when he lost 20 pounds this offseason to fit Shanahan’s outside-zone running offense. He has weighed in at a consistent 305 pounds throughout the preseason. That remains a focal point.
“It’s been important for me to show them I can keep the weight down and maintain the weight they want me to play at,” Garnett said.
Ever since he returned to practice nearly three weeks ago, Garnett has been a consistent participant, playing in each of the past three preseason games. He says his knee feels great, and it’s hard not to believe him.
Garnett flashed his first-round talent in each of his past three performances, pancaking defenders in pass protection and advancing into the second level and run-blocking with authority. He carried the momentum from his opening play throughout a steady performance Thursday.
“I am out there running better than I ever have, blocking better than I ever have, feeling real confident,” Garnett said. “The knee is feeling real stable and real well.”
Garnett seems to finally be hitting his stride. But he knows how quickly things can change.
“I just need to go out and play my style of football,” Garnett said, “and work hard so I can try to get a spot on the team.”
