One of the top performers from the 49ers‘ preseason opener against the Denver Broncos was cornerback Chase Lucas.
A practice squad member in 2024 with San Francisco, the 49ers inked Lucas back with a reserve/future contract this past January.
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On Saturday night, Lucas displayed why he might wind up making the 49ers 53-man roster in 2025. Lucas notched a team-high eight tackles, had a pass breakup and nearly came away with an interception. The 28-year-old was flying around all night.
It was Lucas’ pressure of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix that generated a first-quarter safety. With Lucas pressuring, Nix’s incompletion from the end zone didn’t make its way back to the line of scrimmage, resulting in an intentional grounding and a safety.
Afterwards, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan raved about what he saw from Lucas.
“Yeah, it was fun to watch Chase today,” Shanahan said. “He flew around. We kept him in Nickel the whole game. He’s kind of our Energizer Bunny. He was on practice squad all last year doing it, helping on offense and defense. He’s had a hell of a camp and I thought he did a hell of a job today.”
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Lucas was originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. In his two seasons with the Lions (2022-23), Lucas appeared in 18 games and registered two tackles. He also appeared in three postseason games with the Lions.
Lucas attended Arizona State University (2016-21) where he appeared in 53 games and registered 223 tackles, two sacks, six interceptions, 34 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers react to Chase Lucas’ big night vs. Broncos in preseason opener