By the end of Tuesday, the 49ers will have held 11 practices with their offense and defense going head to head.

Needless to say, they are ready to face somebody else. Following a day off on Wednesday, they will get that chance when they hold joint practices with the Raiders on Thursday and Friday.

San Francisco will then have the opportunity to play a game against Las Vegas on Sunday but, with most of the starters sure to be rested, it is the practices that will be of more value to head coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff.

The 49ers’ reunion with Jimmy Garoppolo will almost certainly be the dominant storyline, but there are several other intriguing narratives to follow this week as the Niners step up their preparations for the new season.

49ers-Raiders joint practices: Key storylines to watch for San Francisco

Can Purdy go three in a row?

Brock Purdy appears to be ahead of schedule in the practice plan the 49ers laid out for him. Last week, when expected to have a second day off in succession, he practiced on Thursday, indicating the Niners had moved to a ‘two days on, one day off’ rotation for Purdy.

The question now is whether Purdy can drop the day off and go three days in a row.

When asked about that possibility last week, Purdy said:

“We’ll see. We’ve got to finish out this week first and then sort of talk about some things and go from there. But as of now we’re just doing the two days on, one day off and going from there and throwing and see how I feel. I feel great. So, we’ve just got to just see where we’re at the end of this week.”

Having had a day off to ponder ratcheting up Purdy’s workload further, the Niners will soon reveal whether they believe Purdy’s arm is in good enough shape to go three practices in a row. It will obviously be an excellent sign if they feel he is ready to make that jump in the second full week of camp.

Brandon Aiyuk’s dominance

Undoubtedly the top offensive player in camp, Brandon Aiyuk has thrived against arguably the NFL’s premier defense, albeit one missing its biggest star.

Attempting to cover Aiyuk has largely proven an exercise in futility and, in facing the Raiders, Aiyuk will get the chance to go against one of the league’s worst defenses from last season, one which he dominated in the Week 17 meeting between the two teams last season.

In that overtime thriller, Aiyuk racked up nine receptions 101 yards and a touchdown. He will relish the chance to renew acquaintances with a defense that finished the previous campaign 30th by Expected Points Added per play.

Expect reports from joint practices to be chock full of yet more praise for a receiver primed to join the ranks of the elite at his position.

Movement on the Bosa front

Given the attention on the quarterback position, it’s not exactly the elephant in the room, but the issue of Nick Bosa’s absence is at least an elephant lurking in the background.

There have been no reports of any kind of progress in talks over an extension that may make the reigning Defensive Player of the Year the highest-paid player on that side of the ball in NFL history.

It is quiet because the 49ers and Bosa’s camp have agreed to keep it that way. Yet, if progress really is slow, it’s fair to wonder if this could be the week the 49ers start to get a little nervous.

Asked how much practice time Bosa would need to be ready for the season, general manager and Hall of Fame safety John Lynch referred to his own experience of needing around three weeks.

To get that amount of time to prepare, Bosa would need to sign by August 20, the day after the 49ers’ second preseason game with the Broncos.

In that sense, the pressure to get this deal over the line is growing. Deadlines force action, and, as that soft deadline draws ever close without a deal done, the more questions the Niners will face about their defensive centerpiece.

Drake Jackson vs. Clelin Ferrell

Drake Jackson has long since been presumed to be the player who will assume the role of starter at the other defensive end spot across from Bosa following the departures of Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam in free agency.

However, Jackson’s role on the defense is not clear cut yet. 

Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks confirmed he is in a close competition for the job with former fourth overall pick Clelin Ferrell, but is hopeful the battle may move closer to being decided when they go against the Raiders’ offensive line.

“It’s competition, it’s tight. And I would say this really for the whole group, and I mentioned this with the staff last night, we’re not going to see a separation or a change until we go against someone else. So, I’m excited about here in a week, I believe it is that we go up to Vegas and play the Raiders. So, we’ll see exactly where we’re at that point and hopefully guys can separate themselves.”

The 49ers spent their top pick in last year’s draft on Jackson in the belief he has the upside to separate himself and blossom into a long-term starter. They’ll feel much better about that assessment if he can stand out in Las Vegas and put some distance between himself and Ferrell.

The pursuit of turnovers

The 49ers finished 2022 second in the NFL with 30 turnovers forced, but their defensive staff has placed an emphasis on ensuring they do not have as many missed opportunities for takeaways in 2023.

That focus has primarily come at the linebacker position. Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw have each practiced juggling before practice upon direction from linebacker coach Johnny Holland in an effort to reel in more tipped balls and underneath throws that come in their direction.

Per The Athletic, Holland said:

“I show ’em plays that we left lying on the ground, that we should have caught. Greenlaw had a (potential) touchdown against Dallas. The ball got on him quick and he didn’t see it. And a lot of it is reactions — how quick can (they) react to the ball and catch it. Juggling is one thing that really makes you focus on doing three things at one time. It stimulates the brain where now I can do more than one thing — I can be on a receiver, I can look back quick and catch a ball because my hand-eye coordination is a lot quicker.”

Against the Raiders, and a familiar face in Garoppolo, the 49ers might get several chances to see if that practice is paying off.

Garoppolo has endured some struggles taking care of the ball for the Raiders in practice. The former 49ers quarterback tossed seven interceptions over the course of back to back practices last week.

The importance of practice numbers is consistently overblown, but the 49er defense is well aware of the tendencies of a quarterback it knows extremely well. 

Garoppolo has historically done a nice job of bouncing back from turnovers, but he is a quarterback who will continually put the ball in harm’s way. San Francisco’s defenders, therefore, should not lack opportunities to get their hands on the ball in joint practices, and Holland and the rest of Wilks’ staff will be keen to see them take advantage.

Progress at backup corner

The 49ers’ cornerback depth has long since looked like an area of concern, but of late there have been a lot of positive noises about the backup options behind starting outside corners Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir.

Ambry Thomas has received warm praise for his progress in bouncing back from a disappointing 2022 that saw him fall down the depth chart after an encouraging end to his rookie year in 2021. Rookie undrafted free agent D’Shawn Jamison, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the stars of training camp.

Coaches and teammates alike have not hesitated to hail the play of the former Texas corner in practice, and Jamison is looking like an increasingly strong bet to make the roster.

The 49ers won’t want to be in a situation this season where they are without either of Ward or Lenoir, but they will have a lot more confidence in their ability to survive injuries at the position if they have two backups who have earned their trust in practice.

Jamison in particular has shone against an extremely talented 49ers receiving corps. He and Thomas’ ability to do the same versus a Raiders attack blessed with several pass-catching playmakers will have a significant bearing on how San Francisco feels about its options in the secondary going into the regular season.

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How the 49ers perform in practice and in Sunday's exhibition against Las Vegas is unlikely to change the perception of a team once again seen as a Super Bowl contender, but this is perhaps the most important week of camp so far, one that will go a long way to shaping what their final 53-man roster looks like.

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It was the catch of the day, and likely training camp altogether.

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