August 15 49ers-Texans Practice Notes: Jimmie Ward and DeAndre Hopkins fight (w/ video); Alfred Morris practices

On Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers held their first of two joint practices with the Houston Texans at the Houston Methodist Training Center, which started at 9:15 a.m. CT (7:15 a.m. PT).

Punches flew between 49ers cornerback Jimmie Ward and Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after the latter's helmet flew off during a hard jam on the first play of team drills. Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said on Tuesday that he and Shanahan would treat fights as if they were in a game — with ejections.

"If they do anything that would get them ejected in a game, Kyle and I have already agreed on that," O'Brien said. "Anything that would get them ejected in a game will get them ejected from practice."

While initial reports stated that Ward continued to practice, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said both players were benched for the remainder of practice.

"It was the first play, a little scuffle," Saleh said. "And we made it clear if anyone throws punches or you do anything that will get you ejected in a game, you'll be done with practice. Both players were removed from practice and, hopefully, they've learned from it and can come back tomorrow and practice."

Below are videos of the heated scuffle.

"Jimmy is such a big competitor," Saleh said. "I'm sure he regrets it but hopefully we get him out there tomorrow. Him and Hopkins ended up shaking hands afterwards anyway so it was just the heat of the battle."

New 49ers running back Alfred Morris joined his new teammates in Houston on Tuesday and took part in the first practice with the Texans. He officially signed a one-year contract upon passing his physical and was wearing No. 36 on Wednesday.

Defensive end Arik Armstead (hamstring) still is not practicing but was seen completing a rehab workout with head strength and conditioning coach Ray Wright on a side field.

Texans pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney left practice following the first team session.

While the fight between Ward and Hopkins was the top story out of Wednesday's practice, there was also some good communication between the two teams. Wide receiver Richie James was seen chatting with Texans safety Kurtis Drummond between periods about what happened during drills. Wide receiver Dante Pettis also discussed plays with a Texans player.

Below are some other notes from Wednesday morning's practice.

Quarterbacks

Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu had a would-be pick-six off quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo led a scoring drive, which was capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Pierre Garçon, against the Texans first-team defense in team drills. Receivers Richie James and Marquise Goodwin each had big catches on the drive.

Running Backs

Morris received some reps in his first practice with the 49ers.

With Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida out, Jeremy McNichols acted as the 49ers' starting running back during each drill. He could see significant playing time on Saturday.

Wide Receivers

Trent Taylor hauled in several passes from Garoppolo and is seeing significant reps in practice. He did not play in last week's exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys and is working his way back from offseason back surgery.

"Trent Taylor was a bright spot for the offense throughout," reported Joe Fann of 49ers.com. "Had several catches."

Pettis had two touchdowns during 7-on-7 drills.

"Richie James made the catch of the day, a sideline grab between two defenders," reports Fann. "Perfect pass from Garoppolo, too."

Offensive Line

Rookie tackle Mike McGlinchey went up against four-time first-team All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt and had his ups and downs.

"It's why you're playing in the NFL," McGlinchey said on Sunday. "To play against the biggest and baddest dudes and [the Texans have] got like three or four of them."

McGlinchey held his own here:

But not so much here:

Although, it is important to note that the latter video took place first, so McGlinchey apparently learned from it.

Guard Joshua Garnett, who practiced with the third-team offense on Monday, got upgraded to the second-team unit on Wednesday.

Defense

The first-team defense forced a four-and-out (no punting during team drills) against Houston's first-team offense during a two-minute drill. Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner had two quarterback pressures while cornerback Greg Mabin had a pass breakup.

The second-team defense wasn't as impressive. It allowed a scoring drive which was capped off by a touchdown pass from Texans quarterback Brandon Weeden to wide receiver Jester Weah.

Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon had a nice pass breakup during team drills.

Next Practice

The final joint practice between the 49ers and Texans will take place on Thursday at 9:15 a.m. CT. The two teams will face each other in an exhibition game at NRG Stadium on Saturday.

Related News

• 10 Observations from 49ers Practice Against Texans: Aug. 15 49ers.com • Aug 15, 2018