49ers training camp: Several stars miss practice No. 3

The San Francisco 49ers held their third training camp practice, marking the second of 10 sessions with fans in attendance.

Below are some tidbits from the unpadded 10:25 a.m. PT Friday session, compiled from various sources.

Noteworthy non-participants

• WR Brandon Aiyuk
• DE Nick Bosa
• OL Jake Brendel
• OL Spencer Burford
• DT Maliek Collins
• WR Jacob Cowing
• OL Jon Feliciano
• LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
• RB Isaac Guerendo
• TE George Kittle
• WR Tay Martin
• RB Christian McCaffrey
• CB Charvarius Ward

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues his hold-in and is not participating in practices.

Physically unable to perform list

• LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles)
• S Talanoa Hufanga (knee)
• DE Drake Jackson (knee)

Non-football injury list

• WR Ricky Pearsall

Did not report list

• T Trent Williams

Williams' holdout fines have now reached $150,000 as he seeks a restructured deal.

Quick notes

With Jake Brendel sidelined, third-year offensive lineman Nick Zakelj took first-team snaps at center. Tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward received some rest, allowing Eric Saubert and Isaac Yiadom to step in. Additionally, Yetur Gross-Matos, who has been having a solid training camp, filled in for defensive end Nick Bosa.

Rookie Jarrett Kingston has been working at right tackle behind starter Colton McKivitz. Rookie Dominick Puni, the team's third-round pick, got work with the first-team unit for the first time in training camp. Puni is competing with Feliciano and Burford for the starting right guard spot.

"He's a strong, big body," offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster said. "He just has a lot, he's no bigger than most of them, but he'll set the pocket real well. He plays with great anchor. He's extremely intelligent. He's really a good player. He's a special guy, and he's just not done the position for very long. And with our system, it's a little bit of a change for him. So there's going to be a learning curve, but he's got some real stuff to him."

With several starting offensive linemen absent, the defense thrived. ESPN's Nick Wagoner noted, "DE Leonard Floyd was particularly active, creating pressure and coming up with would-be sacks. DT Javon Hargrave also was in the backfield a fair amount."

The 49ers secondary continues to shine, delivering several big plays in practice. Matt Barrows of The Athletic noted that today, second-year safety Ji'Ayir Brown ran down an interception on an overthrown deep pass from quarterback Brock Purdy intended for wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Purdy reportedly later overthrew wide receiver Ronnie Bell. The third-year quarterback is clearly testing his arm and deep ball, opting to make these mistakes in practice rather than in games.

Purdy struggled during practice with several of his offensive linemen absent, completing just 4 of 8 passes during 11-on-11 drills.

Wagoner noted that quarterback Josh Dobbs appeared more comfortable than in previous practices. However, the veteran "had a rough sequence late in practice in which he missed an easy check down to [RB Cody] Schrader and had a pass batted by rookie DT Shakel Brown."

Jake Hutchinson of Audacy bluntly stated, "He has not been convincing."

Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area believes that Brandon Allen, Dobbs' competitor for the backup job, has "looked sharp."

"This is his second training camp with the 49ers," Maiocco commented. "Moreover, he came to the 49ers with some history in a similar system. He spent his three previous seasons in Zac Taylor's offense with the Cincinnati Bengals."

According to Barrows, Allen completed five of his six passes during 11-on-11 drills, while Dobbs finished with four completions out of six attempts.

Assistant head coach Brandon Staley has been very hands-on during training camp. Today, he was seen working with cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who is expected to be a key defensive contributor this season.


Linebacker Fred Warner forced a fumble after running back Elijah Mitchell caught a pass. Isaac Yiadom recovered the loose ball.

Hutchinson reported that rookie Tatum Bethune lined up at middle linebacker with the backups, calling adjustments and shifting the defense with clarity and confidence.

"When he was in that spot, he made back-to-back plays in the form of backfield run stops. It was a promising look for the rookie," Hutchinson wrote.

David Lombardi of The Athletic noted that kicker Jake Moody made his first 10 training camp kicks before missing a 46-yard attempt today. However, he bounced back by hitting a 51-yard field goal on his next attempt, bringing his total to 11-of-12.

Kickoff experimentation

The 49ers began working on kickoff returns under the new rules, experimenting with various player combinations lined up deep. This evaluation process will likely give several players experience with the new kickoff format. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk were among those lining up together. After practice, Samuel discussed the possibility of taking on regular kick-return duties.

"I wouldn't mind doing it from the get-go," Samuel said. "I'm a team-first player, so if [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] was like, 'Hey, man, we don't want you to do it full-time. We just use you whenever we really need it,' I'm fine with that. But if you want to use me full-time, I'm all for that as well."

Other combinations included running backs Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason and wide receivers Ronnie Bell and Trent Taylor.

Coach takes blame for costly Super Bowl blunder

Foerster took responsibility for one of the most costly mistakes in Super Bowl 58. In overtime, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones went unblocked on a critical third-down play, forcing Purdy to rush a pass that fell incomplete. Instead of a quick first down or touchdown, the offense had to settle for a field goal, allowing Patrick Mahomes to seal the 49ers' fate.

Guard Spencer Burford was responsible for blocking Jones on that play and was heavily criticized after the game for the blunder.

"He makes that mistake, I struggle with it," Foerster said. "It's my fault. I prepare him to play. It's my job to get him to do it, and he didn't. It's my fault. He didn't have it down. Banks missed a similar thing earlier in the game. Nobody talks about that one. It was a pressure, and I think he (Purdy) got the ball out, but it wasn't covered well enough.

"Or if it was, they didn't get it. Because if they don't get it, I can't just say, 'Their fault, not mine.' Heck no, man. I'm responsible for those knuckleheads, and if those knuckleheads don't do it right, I'm the knucklehead. I'm the guy that's not doing the job right. I'm the guy that's got to get them to do it.

"But I can promise you, as much as it weighs on me, it weighs on him more because he's the one with the bright light on him. Nobody took the camera over to me and said, there's the idiot that didn't get him prepared properly."

Injury updates

Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall appears to be progressing well in his recovery from a hamstring injury. Although he remains on the non-football injury (NFI) list, head coach Kyle Shanahan is hopeful the first-year player will return to the practice field sometime next week.

Next practice

Saturday, July 27 at 10:25 a.m. PT
SAP Performance Facility, Santa Clara, CA

Videos

None of the following videos are from team drills, as the media must stop recording once team drills begin.

Related News

• 49ers O-line coach takes blame for Burford's Super Bowl blunder NBCS Bay Area • Jul 26
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• 49ers Day 3 Camp Notes: D-Line dominates, a Purdy pick, and plan at RG Audacy • Jul 26
• Training Camp Day 3: Defense Shines, Diving into the OL Rotation 49ers.com • Jul 26
• 49ers training camp practice video highlights Ji'Ayir Brown INT Niners Wire • Jul 26