On Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers held their 11th of 13 training camp practices at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, which started at 10:15 a.m. It was the final full practice before the team's exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on Thursday night.
The 49ers' backups received some extra work during practice as the team prepares for Thursday's game.
"Third string offense got a lot of reps near the end of today's practice," reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
Below are some notes from Tuesday's outing.
Garoppolo-to-Robinson Connection
The Garoppolo-to-Goodwin connection has been one of the hot topics during training camp. On Tuesday, it was wide receiver Aldrick Robinson doing his best impression of Marquise Goodwin.
Jimmy Garoppolo ended a two-minute drill by hitting Robinson between two defenders for a 26-yard touchdown.
The pair connected again for a 70-yard touchdown, which Joe Fann of 49ers.com reports traveled about 65 yards in the air.
Quarterbacks
C.J. Beathard injured his hand on a teammate's helmet but continued to practice.
Wide Receivers
Trent Taylor had a nice one-handed catch, which impressed reporters. Tracy Sandler of Fangirl Sports Network posted the following video of the reception. Taylor's catch comes after Steven Dunbar's.
Look whose back and making fancy catches #49er #49ersCamp @Trent5Taylor pic.twitter.com/XjjelX7gto
— Tracy Sandler (@49ersfangirl) August 7, 2018
Rookie Dante Pettis was open and targeted by Garoppolo but barely missed on a few potential connections.
"One narrow miss came on a deep ball with Jaquiski Tartt close in coverage," reports Wagoner. "The pass was just out [of] Pettis' reach."
Goodwin hauled in a nice 25-yard sideline pass off of play action from Garoppolo.
Running Backs
Jerick McKinnon kicked off practice with two solid runs, reports Fann.
Joe Williams and Jeremy McNichols each had big runs. Williams is fighting for the 49ers' third running back spot.
"I'm excited to watch him play out on the field," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Williams on Tuesday. "I'm a lot more excited now than I was last year because of what he's shown in practice."
Offensive Line
While Mike Person continues to receive the majority of reps at right guard, Jonathan Cooper received some work with the first-team offense during team drills. He has been working his way back from MCL surgery in January. Cooper reportedly looked good, which doesn't bode well for injured guard Joshua Garnett.
"Veteran Jonathan Cooper, a late entry to the competition, looked every bit a potential starter when he blocked defensive linemen Ronald Blair and slid over to block any path toward Garoppolo, who stepped up in the pocket," reports Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group.
Pass Rush
Defensive linemen Sheldon Day and rookie Jullian Taylor stood out as pass rushers. Each has been impressive during training camp. Day and linebacker Malcolm Smith each had would-be sacks.
Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner's work as an edge rusher continued.
"He got one pressure (maybe would have been a sack) from that spot on Tuesday. Buckner's movement around the defensive line is something to monitor," reports Fann.
Defensive Backs
The practice was riddled with several drops of potential interceptions. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon almost had one and showed his frustration by punting the football 50-yards after the drop.
Cornerback Greg Mabin also dropped a potential interception.
Rookie safety Terrell Williams managed to hold onto an interception of a Beathard-thrown pass near the end zone during team drills.
Special Teams
Fann with the important special teams update...
Robbie Gould kicked field goals for the first time on Tuesday. He went 5-for-6.
Makes: 33 (x2), 40, 45 and 48
Miss: 33This has been your #49ers kicking update.
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) August 7, 2018
