Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 21

Khalil Herbert Scores 1-Yard TD as Avery Smith Holding Penalty Extends 49ers Drive

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 21

Khalil Herbert Scores 1-Yard TD as Avery Smith Holding Penalty Extends 49ers Drive

Q: Did a single defensive penalty just save a veteran running back's career with the 49ers?

Probably not by itself, but it may have helped Khalil Herbert strengthen a fragile case for sticking around. The penalty on Chargers rookie Avery Smith clearly changed that sequence. San Francisco had failed on fourth down after Adrian Martinez’s incompletion, but the holding call gave the 49ers a new set of downs at the 1-yard line, and Herbert converted it for a touchdown. In a preseason setting, that matters because Herbert is not an established lock; he is a 28-year-old veteran on a one-year deal who was released, then re-signed after Patrick Taylor Jr. went to injured reserve. Still, one touchdown created by a defensive mistake is unlikely to “save” a career on its own. Herbert entered this stretch already fighting for depth value in a crowded and injured backfield, and his roster outlook depends more on the full body of work: pass protection, special-teams usefulness, camp reps, health of the other backs, and whether San Francisco trusts him as emergency depth behind the main options. The available reporting makes clear he faces an uphill battle. What the play likely did do was prevent a lost rep from becoming a negative mark. Instead of a failed goal-line series, Herbert got a visible finish and a reason for coaches to keep evaluating him. In preseason roster battles, those moments can help at the margins. But if Herbert stays with the 49ers, it will be because of the total evaluation, not because of one Chargers penalty.

Q: How will a costly goal-line mistake impact an undrafted rookie's fight for a spot on the Chargers' roster?

It hurts Avery Smith’s chances, but it is unlikely to decide his roster fate by itself. For an undrafted rookie cornerback, a goal-line holding penalty is exactly the kind of mistake coaches remember because it erased a defensive stop and directly turned into a 49ers touchdown. In a crowded Chargers secondary, that is costly. Smith is already fighting uphill as a developmental defensive back with questions about size, speed and tackling, so mental errors and penalties can weigh heavily when roster spots are this tight. At the same time, the broader body of work still matters more than one preseason snap. Smith arrived with a strong college résumé at Toledo, including back-to-back Second-Team All-MAC honors, and he has shown versatility as an outside and slot defender with special teams value. Camp reports also indicate he has flashed playmaking ability, including a pass breakup against Justin Herbert and an interception in practice. That kind of ball production is why evaluators viewed him as one of the Chargers’ more intriguing undrafted signings. The key now is response. If Smith cleans up his technique, avoids more penalties and keeps contributing on special teams, he can still make a serious push for the practice squad and possibly the back end of the 53-man roster. If more mistakes follow, this play will become part of a larger case against him. For now, the penalty is a setback, not a knockout blow.

1 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 21

Khalil Herbert punched in a 1-yard touchdown after San Francisco was awarded a fresh set of downs at the goal line, stretching the 49ers' lead over the Chargers.
Avery Smith's holding penalty wiped out what had briefly been a Chargers stop on fourth down, giving the 49ers an automatic first down at the 1.
Adrian Martinez had thrown over his targets in the end zone on the failed sequence before the flag kept the drive alive, turning a turnover on downs into points.