On Monday, the San Francisco 49ers held their final training camp practice at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, which started at 10:15 a.m. It was not fully padded. The team still has two practices scheduled, but they will take place in Houston with the Texans before the two squads play each other at NRG Stadium on Saturday.
The 49ers released a pre-practice injury report that included 17 players plus one who was receiving the day off to rest. Not on that list was rookie defensive lineman Jullian Taylor, who did not practice due to a stomach illness.
Cornerback Richard Sherman is on his way back from a hamstring injury. He was listed as "limited" on Monday morning but took part in team drills, which was unexpected.
Mike McGlinchey does the Macarena for the final #49ers #rookiehypemachine pic.twitter.com/AfrIIUPCOq
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) August 13, 2018
Following practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the team was in the process of signing former Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys running back Alfred Morris. He will meet the team in Houston on Tuesday and undergo a physical. The 49ers are without Jerick McKinnon, who suffered a calf strain on Sunday, and Matt Breida, who sustained a separated shoulder against the Cowboys last Thursday night.
Below are some notes from Monday's practice.
Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo threw a few nice touchdown passes during red-zone drills, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN. One was to tight end Cole Hikutini, another on a shovel pass to running back Jeremy McNichols, and a third to wide receiver Trent Taylor in tight coverage.
Garoppolo was unofficially 10-of-15 during team drills, per Chris Biderman of Niners Wire.
Practice ended with Nick Mullens hitting wide receiver Aaron Burbridge for a 40-yard score down the right sideline. Mullens had another long completion to Hikutini.
Garoppolo kept the quarterbacks after practice to work on deep passes.
Running Backs
The 49ers only had three running backs on hand for Monday's practice. They were Jeremy McNichols, Raheem Mostert, and Jeff Wilson.
Joe Williams is on the East Coast for his brother-in-law's funeral and will meet the team in Houston on Tuesday.
Wide Receivers
Taylor had three catches, including the touchdown from Garoppolo.
"Trent Taylor looks more like his old self each and every day," writes Joe Fann of 49ers.com.
Tight Ends
Garrett Celek was the recipient of Garoppolo's longest completion of the day, according to Fann. The offense started to yell "Celek Time" while the ball was in the air.
Offensive Line
Guard Joshua Garnett received a significant amount of reps in practice, but it was with the third-team offense. Erik Magnuson got reps at right guard with the first-team offense while Jonathan Cooper worked with the second-team.
Linebackers
Korey Toomer picked off Mullens during red-zone drills.
Defensive Backs
Safety Adrian Colbert broke up a pass headed toward Pettis in the end zone. Pettis got his hands on it, but Colbert managed to knock it away.
Sherman had good coverage on wide receiver Kendrick Bourne on a red-zone fade during team drills. It is important to note that Sherman didn't receive a full workload during 11-on-11s on Monday. He rotated with defensive back Jimmie Ward.
Sherman got turned around by rookie receiver Dante Pettis during another red-zone play, per Wagoner, but Garoppolo did not see Pettis running open.
Following the first full practice since his hamstring injury, Sherman kept several defensive backs on the field after practice for some extra work.
Other Notes
The 49ers' next practice will be on Wednesday at 7:15 a.m. PT (9:15 a.m. local CT). It will be a joint practice with the Texans at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
From a big picture standpoint, one thing kind of interesting from this camp: Kyle Shanahan talks often about his players taking care of one another in practice (i.e. playing physical but not going too far with hits, fights, etc). And this camp seems to have struck the right note.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 13, 2018
There were no real fights in any practices and, really, I can't recall any moments that were close to becoming one. It was still physical and there were some big hits but nothing over the top. Falls in line with what Shanahan has said about locker room policing itself this year.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 13, 2018
