The most intriguing storylines from the first week of San Francisco 49ers training camp practices
The San Francisco 49ers had the day off on Sunday, with four of their training camp practices already in the books. It is events off the practice field that have dominated the headlines, with Brandon Aiyuk reporting but not practicing as he awaits a positive end to his long contract saga and Trent Williams not […]
The San Francisco 49ers had the day off on Sunday, with four of their training camp practices already in the books.
It is events off the practice field that have dominated the headlines, with Brandon Aiyuk reporting but not practicing as he awaits a positive end to his long contract saga and Trent Williams not reporting at all as he holds out in search of improved terms.
But there has been plenty happening during the sessions to spark intrigue, with these three storylines the interesting to develop in the four practices before pads go on in week two.
Deebo off to a flyer
Though much of the attention during the opening practices of camp has been on the All-Pro wide receiver stood off to the side of the field and observing the sessions alongside general manager John Lynch, the 49ers' 2021 All-Pro at the same position, Deebo Samuel, has made an extremely impressive start.
With Aiyuk on the sideline, a leaner looking Samuel has caught the eye.
Indeed, ESPN's Nick Wagoner wrote of Samuel in a post on X (formerly Twitter):
"[Samuel] continues to look like a guy with something to prove heading into a pivotal season for him. Samuel has been present and participated in everything so far and is heavily involved in the offense every day, regardless of who his quarterback is.m Given the shape he's in and how motivated he seems, a big year for him if healthy seems very possible."
Samuel is heading into what could be his final season with the 49ers, with many viewing him as a potential cap casualty next offseason, when San Francisco will likely make Brock Purdy one of the league's highest-paid players.
A huge year from Samuel could significantly lessen any desire on the part of San Francisco to deal him. Of greater significance for the immediate future, though, is the potential impact of a Samuel resurgence on the 49ers' 2024 hopes.
Samuel has never matched the heights of his 2021 first-team All-Pro season when he racked up 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 total touchdowns. If he can get anywhere close to that level this season, it could substantially mitigate the damage of a possible drop-off from Aiyuk, who is now a long way behind the 8-ball in terms of practice time this offseason.
The tone-setter on the 49er offense has taken something of a backseat to Aiyuk in recent years. Right now that doesn't appear likely to the case in 2024.
Puni in the mix to start
The 49ers have already had their fair share of bad injury news in training camp, with the most serious blow being the broken hand suffered by right guard Spencer Burford.
Burford may require surgery on that injury and, with veteran Jon Feliciano also out with an undisclosed issue, first-team reps on Friday and Saturday went to rookie third-round pick Dominick Puni.
San Francisco believes Puni can play all five spots on the line but the 49ers made it clear he would begin at guard right off the bat. Puni starting in year one initially seemed like a long shot, but the removal of those ahead of him on the depth chart from the equation for the time being gives him a distinct opportunity to challenge to make the spot his own.
The reviews so far have been strong.
“He’s done a real good job,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Puni. “We haven’t had pads on yet, which is always a challenge for guys, especially in protection. But he’s stepped in there, got more reps, and I’ve been excited about him.”
Excitement will grow if Puni can continue to impress once the pads go on.
Edge rush dominance
With Williams holding out and injuries on the interior, the 49ers' offensive line has been undermanned, so it's no surprise that San Francisco's defensive line has enjoyed a dominant start to camp.
Nick Bosa has predictably been the star of the show in that regarded, reaping the benefits of his decided advantage over backup left tackle Jaylon Moore. Yet the tantalizing thing for the 49ers is that it isn't just Bosa who has excelled.
Shanahan articulated as such, saying: "He [Bosa] looked like Nick, so that's pretty good. And the depth has been great. I've been real excited about it so far. Seems like we've got great depth, seems like we're improving. But it's also four days in, too. I'm excited to get pads on."
The Niners made a point of emphasizing D-Line depth this offseason, bringing in two edge rushers in Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos in free agency. Floyd will likely start and man the edge spot across from Bosa.
Floyd has lived up to the expectations Shanahan had of a player with 39.5 sacks over the last four seasons, but perhaps even more intriguing is the apparent quick progress made by Gross-Matos, whom Wagoner noted on day two as showing up "repeatedly in the run and pass game".
The 49ers have made no secret of their desire to use Gross-Matos inside and out, and defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said of him after day two:
"What we liked about him was he’s got size and length and position flexibility, and it flashed on tape. And now you see it in drills. You didn’t get as much kind of team reps. And now to come right into training camp and to have all the juices flowing, you’re getting more reps, you’re seeing more team stuff, you’re starting to see him flash more, which is awesome, which is what we expect from him."
Gross-Matos' potential influence as a player who can kick inside and make plays in the backfield from multiple spots would give the 49ers a skill set they haven't had since Charles Omenihu in 2022. Having an effective player in that dual role up front would be a huge boon for the defense, as would 2023 fifth-round pick Robert Beal Jr. taking a step forward.
The former Georgia defensive end reportedly looks stronger and has impressed setting the edge against the run and finding joy as a rotational pass rusher, increasing hope he can progress after playing the role of spectator for most of 2023, only to then be trusted to play some defensive snaps in the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
After a campaign in which the 49ers got little at edge apart from Bosa despite high-profile trades for Randy Gregory and Chase Young, they appear to be in a much better spot at a critical position in 2024 on the basis of these early days of camp.
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