San Francisco has a bevy of players trying to make their mark during the preseason but we have a group of four in mind who need to step up their game if they want a shot at making the team" San Francisco 49ers News49ers Preseason Schedule Tarvarius Moore Jersey , News, Results49ers vs. Broncos game week: Everything you need to knowFour players who need to step up in Week 2New,77commentsSan Francisco has a bevy of players trying to make their mark during the preseason but we have a group of four in mind who need to step up their game if they want a shot at making the teamPDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Four players who need to step up in Week 2TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Daniel Shirey/Getty ImagesWeek 1 of the NFL Preseason is in the books and, despite last week being a win for the Niners, there wasn’t much to write home about. What we did see, though, were some players who had sub-pay performances. San Francisco is at the point where they are going to have to make some tough decisions when it comes to trimming down the roster. Here is a list of four players who need to step up their play in week 2 (and beyond) if they want to make the team come week 1 of the regular season:CJ BeathardIf there is one absolute truth about backup quarterback CJ Beathard, it’s that he can take a hit just about as well as anyone else. The real issue with that, though Kentavius Street Color Rush Jersey , is that he shouldn’t be taking that many big hits week in and week out. His performance against Dallas last week was abysmal: he had 3-4 throws that had no business of being thrown and, honestly, should have thrown more than just the 1 INT he had thrown. Beathard has struggled with processing information on the field which has led to him standing in the pocket for longer than needed and throwing unnecessary interceptions. He’s going to have to improve in those areas because it appears that Nick Mullens is the front-runner for the backup gig (despite head coach Kyle Shanahan saying that there is no separation between the two).Richie James, JrThe wide receiving corps in San Francisco is crowded, to say the least, and that’s still true even with the recent revelation of Trent Taylor’s injury and subsequent foot surgery. The likes of Dante Pettis, Jalen Hurd, Deebo Samuel, and the aforementioned Taylor are as close to “locks” as we can get with the wide receivers. It is also safe to assume that Coach Shanahan will choose to keep 6 WRs on the roster so with the previous four listed that leaves two spots between Richie James https://www.49ersfanshop.com/Alfred-Morris-Jersey , Jr, Kendrick Bourne, Jordan Matthews, and Marquise Goodwin. With Goodwin and his speed, it is very safe to wager that he will make the team, which leaves the proverbial final WR spot to either James, Bourne, or Matthews. Richie James has potential, but he needs to produce - against Dallas he had a couple of drops in open space. Look for him to bounce back heading into the midway point of the preseason.Malcolm Smith“The best ability is availability.” If there’s any veteran who should be worried about the sudden surge of rookie Dre Greenlaw Weston Richburg Jersey , it’s Malcolm Smith. Smith signed a lucrative deal in 2017 and has not lived up to it. He has struggled to remain healthy and, when he has been healthy enough to play, he hasn’t done much on the field. Smith also had his contract restructured to make it more team-friendly, so you better believe if the Niners coaching staff doesn’t see any sort of signs of life int he coming weeks then, well, it may be time to cut bait and move on.Adrian ColbertThe 49ers secondary has a lot of question marks: Jimmie Ward cannot seem to remain healthy but has stuck around on the team, and Jaquiski Tartt is solidified as a starter but is also dealing with injuries that have sidelined him from indiscriminate amounts of time over the last two seasons. With Tarvarius Moore being moved from cornerback to safety and getting better every day at his natural position, Colbert must find a way to return to the big play ability we saw from him during his rookie campaign in 2017. There is an opportunity for him at the free safety position, so if he can improve along with not getting ejected from any other games Cassius Marsh Color Rush Jersey , then he stands a solid chance at retaining his starting spot. Washington has been espousing a deep belief in the run game ever since Bill Callahan took over as the interim head coach in the wake of Jay Gruden’s firing and Sunday’s game against the 49ers provided an opportunity to fully embrace that approach.It was pouring rain and sloppy on the field, which resulted in a game plan that saw them run the ball 11 straight times to open the game and throw just 12 times. Adrian Peterson did most of the running, but left the 9-0 loss responsible for leaving his team on the wrong end of the final score.After the 49ers kicked a third quarter field goal to open the scoring, Peterson lost a fumble in San Francisco territory. Peterson’s right ankle got rolled up by a 49ers defender and Peterson said the jolt of pain led to him losing the ball.“The fumble, for me personally, I feel like that’s what lost us the game,” Peterson said, via the . “I always look at going on to the next play, next play https://www.49ersfanshop.com/Brock-Coyle-Jersey , but that was a critical point in the game. We were in position to put points on the board. . . . We can’t have a turnover. Especially playing against this defense. It hurts even more because it wasn’t like the guy punched the ball out. It came from pain. That little moment of ‘ugh’ allowed the ball to come out, and for me that’s just not acceptable. I’ll be beating myself up about this one all night.”Washington had three drives longer than three plays all afternoon and their defense never forced a three and out, so it’s hard to heap all the blame on any one plate even if Peterson feels his fumble stood out.