49ers Training Camp: Quarterbacks impress in lower intensity practice
Thursday's practice saw Brock Purdy intensify his efforts to get back to his best. But on the whole, the 49ers dropped their intensity somewhat for this session, which was shorter than those held earlier in the week as the Niners returned from Wednesday's day off. Several starters on offense and defense had an extra day […]
Thursday's practice saw Brock Purdy intensify his efforts to get back to his best.
But on the whole, the 49ers dropped their intensity somewhat for this session, which was shorter than those held earlier in the week as the Niners returned from Wednesday's day off.
Several starters on offense and defense had an extra day of rest, with Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams and Dre Greenlaw among a host of players not participating.
Those absences may have been a contributing factor to a sloppier practice featuring a lot of pre-snap penalties.
Yet from a quarterback perspective, it was a largely pleasing day for the Niners.
49ers Training Camp: Key Takeaways from Day 7
Purdy changes schedule as QBs shine
There were two very clear differences from the training camp norm at the quarterback position for the 49ers on Thursday.
The first, Purdy practicing on what was thought to be a day off, marking an earlier than expected change in plan for the likely starter under center. After practice, Kyle Shanahan confirmed Purdy had switched to two days on, one day off.
That is a clear sign of progress for Purdy following his return from offseason elbow surgery, and there was plenty to like from the prospective QB1 during the team period as he went seven of 10. His completions included, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, a 20-yard in-breaker to Brandon Aiyuk that beat safety George Odum because of the velocity on the throw.
Purdy, who got all 18 first-team reps, later completed a quick pass to Jordan Mason with a blitzing Odum bearing down on him in a showing of the poise that was a defining trait of his stunning emergence last year.
The second change in plans at quarterback was the lack of team reps for fourth-stringer Brandon Allen, who is said to be in the mix to stay on the team in some capacity.
Shanahan later clarified that was due to the shorter practice time, but it allowed for more of a look at Trey Lance and Sam Darnold as they split the second and third-team reps in their battle for the QB2 job.
Darnold took 14 snaps to Lance's 13 and completed six of his eight pass attempts. Lance went five of eight and had a pass picked off by linebacker Dee Winters. He did, though, have what Maiocco labeled the best throw of the day, finding receiver Tay Martin on a deep out.
Asked about the interception, Shanahan explained that Lance should have checked it down. All three quarterbacks looked largely at ease, but Lance will need to improve his decision-making if he is to be sure of being the primary backup.
49ers light on O-Line depth
In addition to Williams resting, the 49ers’ offensive line was without starting left guard Aaron Banks (concussion), veteran Jon Feliciano (shoulder) and swing tackle favorite Jaylon Moore, who suffered a bone bruise in Tuesday’s practice.
That meant they had to shuffle the pack significantly up front. To call the first-string makeshift would be putting it mildly.
Nick Zakelij and Jason Poe split time at left guard in Banks' absence, while rookie Leroy Watson got the nod as the first-team left tackle. Watson, who has made the astute decision to join Spencer Burford in continually seeking the counsel of All-Pro Williams, is a converted tight end who will most likely land on the practice squad.
Those changes were undoubtedly a contributing factor in the number of pre-snap penalties. However, though Purdy and Lance were each attributed with making plays under pressure, there was no talk of the kind of defensive line dominance that has been a constant feature of this camp.
This practice was a test of the 49ers' O-Line depth and, penalties aside, San Francisco can be reasonably happy with the results.
Shanahan pulling for Kinlaw success
The story of defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw has been one of hard luck since he was drafted by the Niners 14th overall in 2020.
Persistent knee problems have prevented him from having any kind of significant impact for the 49ers across his first three seasons.
However, Kinlaw turned up for camp looking significantly leaner and that has translated to him creating consistent disruption in practice, leaving Kyle Shanahan delighted and raising hopes of him making the 49ers' interior pass rush more formidable with a productive year.
In his post-practice press conference, Shanahan said:
“This year it’s been so encouraging because it’s the first year that he’s gone from February all the way up to now with no setbacks and for him to have the OTAs that he did and to bring it into now, you know how much it means to him, how much he’s put into it, probably as much as I’ve seen any player. It’s hard when you have those three years where you don’t have good luck and to see him having the results of the effort he’s put in, you’re really pulling for the kid.”
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Interestingly, Kinlaw was part of a defensive line that was seen aligning in a five-man front during the walkthrough section of practice. He was alongside Clelin Ferrell, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave and Drake Jackson.
The 49ers used a five-man defensive line just 19 times last year but it could be something coordinator Steve Wilks is exploring to get more of his extremely gifted pass rushers on the field at the same time.
With Nick Bosa still to return once he and the 49ers eventually come to terms on an extension, a San Francisco bear front could be one of the scariest sights in the NFL for opposing offensive lines.
Thomas prepared for bounce back
Anyone who watched Ambry Thomas make a playoff-clinching interception in 2021 could be forgiven for thinking the former third-round pick had solidified his place on the 49er defense.
The one person who made the mistake of thinking that was Thomas himself, and he subsequently paid the price for a lack of preparation for year two that saw him tumble down the depth chart and limited mostly to special teams.
But Thomas' starting experience makes him the lead candidate to be the primary backup behind starting outside corners Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir, and Shanahan and his coaching staff seemingly have a lot more confidence in his ability to step up having witnessed a drastic change in mindset.
Shanahan said of Thomas:
I think he’s working harder, he’s attacked OTAs phase one, two and three a lot harder than he did the year before, which made him look so further ahead in OTAs than he was the last two years. He leaves for 40 days and he comes back looking a little better than he did in OTAs. I think his mindset and everything has been great. I think he learned what happened to him, and you just watch out on the field you can see his urgency and preparation is so much better.
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The 49ers, who on Thursday signed Anthony Averett and placed Terrance Mitchell on injured reserve, have very shaky depth at corner. They need Thomas to be ready to answer the bell if pressed into action, and the signs at this point suggest he will be.
Purdy will be out on the practice field again on Friday prior to a day off on Saturday. San Francisco will have a day off on Sunday as they get ready for joint practices with the Raiders next week.
49ers running back Elijah Mitchell dealing with another injury
The oft-injured back will be spending more time on the sideline.
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