Did Anthony Davis want to stay at guard? ‘It was coach’s decision’

San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis stands on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. Houston won the game 24-13. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) less San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis stands on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. ... more Photo: Tony Avelar, Associated Press Photo: Tony Avelar, Associated Press Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Did Anthony Davis want to stay at guard? ‘It was coach’s decision’ 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Anthony Davis echoed head coach Chip Kelly and said a “miscommunication” was the reason he missed practice Saturday and that his abrupt move from starting right guard to backup tackle was Kelly’s decision.

Davis also denied a report that he missed practice because he was contemplating retirement: “It’s not accurate,” he said.

Davis switched positions in August, started the third preseason game at right guard and Kelly had hailed his work at his new position on Thursday during a radio interview.

There has been speculation Davis had misgivings about playing guard, a position he hadn’t played since 2007 when he was a freshman at Rutgers. He missed practice two days before the season opener against the Rams and was set to face All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Asked why he didn’t play guard on Monday, Davis said it was “coach’s decision.”

He declined to offer a direct answer when asked if he wanted to stay at guard.

“It was coach’s decision,” he said.

Davis’ brief responses during a two-minute interview prompted a reporter to ask if there was anything he wanted to clear up.

“No,” he said, smiling. “Just leave it. Let it fester.”

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As he did in August, Davis today said it was decision to move from tackle to guard.

However, Kelly said on KNBR on Thursday that Davis was asked to make the switch. Davis, of course, left the NFL in 2015 to let his “brain and body” heal.

Here’s what Kelly said Thursday about Davis:

“You’re obviously concerned when a player takes a year off,” Kelly said. “‘What’s he going to be like.’ But he came back in unbelievable shape. You could tell that he had done a lot of work on his own and was really prepared for this. It wasn’t something where he woke up one day and said ‘Hey, I think I want to play again.’ He really thought it through. He’s a real deep thinker and when he got here from Day 1, he was just outstanding.

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“He’s been totally immersed in what we’re doing. I think it speaks a lot to his character just how selfless he is. Tent Brown had played real well for us at right tackle, which is Anthony’s original position. We talked to him about trying to get our five best guys on the field and obviously A.D.’s in our top five. ‘If we could move you to guard.’ He was all for it. ‘Whatever you need.’ He’s all about the team. He’s been really good in there. It’s given me the ability to sleep a little bit better knowing we have A.D. and Trent Brown on the right side of our line.”

Twitter: @Eric_Branch