49ers training camp: Brock Purdy shines as Josh Dobbs faces challenges

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

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

Noteworthy non-participants

• WR Brandon Aiyuk
• LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
• RB Isaac Guerendo
• WR Tay Martin

Guerendo and Flannigan-Fowles left Wednesday's practice due to injuries. Guerendo has a hamstring issue, while Flannigan-Fowles experienced an undisclosed setback.

Tackle Trent Williams is holding out for a restructured deal and did not report to training camp. The 49ers have placed the offensive lineman on the "reserve/did not report" list.

Aiyuk was seen observing practice alongside 49ers general manager John Lynch. Last week, the star receiver requested a trade after his contract negotiations failed to progress as hoped.

Quick notes

Christian McCaffrey didn't participate in team drills on Wednesday but was ready for Thursday's on-field work. Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained that this is part of the 49ers' plan for the star player, saying, "We have a whole thing mapped out, so it'll be different each day. A number of players are like that."

Quarterback Josh Dobbs has reportedly struggled in the first two practices. He is competing for the backup quarterback job. According to Jake Hutchinson of Audacy, Dobbs underthrew a pass intended for wide receiver Jauan Jennings, resulting in an interception by cornerback Darrell Luter Jr.

"Josh Dobbs has looked a clear level below Brandon Allen thus far," Hutchinson wrote. "He has multiple misses, and they are frequently way off. ... Aside from the interception, he had a high ball that Ronnie Bell saved with an outrageous catch, a putrid throw behind a wide open Jake Tonges on a short in route, and an overthrow of Gray on go ball."

Hutchinson also notes that defensive end Nick Bosa recorded a couple of sacks (or what would have ended up being sacks in a game), rookie safety Malik Mustapha had a pass breakup and nearly intercepted a pass intended for Jennings, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel along with quarterback Brock Purdy continued to impress.

Had Mustapha caught the pass thrown by Brandon Allen for an interception, it would have marked his second pick in as many days.

Samuel hauled in several Purdy-thrown passes. According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, one of these catches involved Samuel wrestling the ball away from cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.

Barrows notes that the best catch of the day came from wide receiver Trent Taylor, who made a diving grab for a pass thrown by Brandon Allen in heavy traffic. He also reports that Spencer Burford has taken all the first-team snaps so far.

"It might be that SF knows what it has in Jon Feliciano, who replaced Burford late last year, and wants to give Burford all the reps he can handle," Barrows wrote.

Several reporters seem impressed with new defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who has been actively making things difficult in the backfield for the 49ers' offensive playmakers.

"The defensive line has been trying to find someone to seal off the end opposite of Bosa for some time -- and they might have found an answer," wrote Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Brock Purdy impressing

Purdy is benefiting from his first full offseason as a starter, which should help him build on his impressive 2023 campaign.

"Brock Purdy continues to look every bit like a man set to lead a stellar team to another competitive season, and cash in on a deal worth clearly north of $50 million per year this offseason," Hutchinson wrote. "His layered ball to Danny Gray highlighted his ability to separate open receivers from coverage over and underneath receivers. Purdy also connected on an excellent seam shot to Brayden Willis over coverage from George Odum."

Cornerback depth

Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen was asked about the cornerback position, which has seemingly transformed from an area of concern to a potential strength. The unit features Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir on the outside, with Isaac Yiadom taking over Lenoir's spot when he moves inside. Rookie Renardo Green is also proving to be a versatile player capable of handling multiple positions.

"I think it's competitive," Sorensen said. "The guys that we brought in, I think it was about guys have played, but it's a mentality thing around here. You want them to be, 'okay are these 49er guys?' ... We want the guys that fit us. Good players. They're tough. They're going to play with the violence that we like. They love football. You can see it. And when you hear people that talk about it, if you know people, they all say good things about them. It all checks all these boxes."

Injury updates

Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall began training camp on the non-football injury (NFI) list after suffering a hamstring injury while away from the team. He was observed doing some light work during practice.

Next practice

Friday, July 26 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.

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