49ers training camp: Brock Purdy struggles in practice after strong start

The San Francisco 49ers held their sixth training camp practice, once again with fans in the stands. It was the second padded practice of training camp.

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

Noteworthy non-participants

• WR Brandon Aiyuk
• OL Spencer Burford (hand)
• WR Jacob Cowing (hamstring)
• OL Jon Feliciano (knee)
• CB Renardo Green
• RB Isaac Guerendo (hamstring)
• WR Tay Martin (hamstring)

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

Defensive end Nick Bosa, offensive lineman Jake Brendel, running back Christian McCaffrey, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk returned to practice after Monday off.

Unavailable players

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

• T Trent Williams

Quick notes

The Tuesday morning practice featured the first one-on-one pass rush drills of training camp. Nick Wagoner of ESPN observed solid reps from rookie offensive lineman Dominick Puni, who went up against defensive tackles Jordan Elliott, T.Y. McGill, and Evan Anderson. Offensive tackle Jaylon Moore held his own against defensive end Leonard Floyd, while defensive tackle Javon Hargrave performed well against offensive lineman Aaron Banks.

Wagoner said of Puni: "Just never looks uncomfortable and has shown signs of understanding the little details like passing off blitzes and combo blocks in the run game like someone well beyond his years. A strong start."

Initially, it seemed like Brock Purdy was bouncing back from his three-interception outing on Monday. The 49ers' offense looked like a well-oiled machine, with the quarterback throwing touchdown passes and setting up big runs.

One of those touchdown passes went to wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Purdy pump-faked, causing cornerback Isaac Yiadom to bite, allowing Samuel to gain separation. Purdy then hit his receiver deep for the would-be score. Running back Christian McCaffrey also hauled in a touchdown pass from Purdy.

However, Purdy later threw four interceptions in the span of five passes, one of which was hauled in by safety Ji'Ayir Brown. Linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, safety George Odum, and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir had the others. Lenoir had a would-be pick-six.

"He (Purdy) also got baited into another near INT by LB Fred Warner, who was sitting on a crossing route intended for WR Chris Conley and jumped the route as it came out just a bit late," wrote Wagoner.

Again, it's worth noting that Purdy had several interceptions during last year's training camp but still went on to deliver a record-breaking performance in the regular season. Practices offer quarterbacks a valuable chance to experiment with throws they might avoid during the regular season.

Matt Barrows of The Athletic noted that Purdy finished the day 10 of 16.

Barrows also reported that rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, activated off the non-football injury (NFI) list on Monday, made a nice catch over the middle on a slightly off-target pass from Brandon Allen. Pearsall held onto the football for an 11-yard gain despite the hard hit from safety Erik Harris. Cornerback Darrell Luter was also in coverage.

Tuesday's practice saw the first scuffle of 49ers training camp, with defensive tackle T.Y. McGill clashing with rookie offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston, per Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group. The altercation was quickly broken up, but McGill remained visibly upset afterward.

Rookie quarterback Tanner Mordecai took his first training camp reps during team drills, completing one of his two passes. The other pass was dropped by Pearsall, who attempted to catch the ball over the middle with multiple defenders converging on him. Jennings hauled in Mordecai's lone complete pass.

"Mordecai likely was worked in because this was the longest practice of camp so far," wrote Barrows.

Rookie wide receiver Terique Owens, son of Terrell Owens, may have had his strongest training camp showing yet. Late in practice, he caught a would-be touchdown from Allen.

At the end of team drills, cornerback Ambry Thomas intercepted a pass from quarterback Josh Dobbs intended for Owens.

Kicker Jake Moody connected on all three field goal attempts, including a 55-yarder. So far, he has missed only one field goal in all of training camp.

Next practice

Wednesday, July 31 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.