Linemen were the star attraction when the 49ers practiced again Thursday, from one-on-one field battles after a short break to a possible starter who got hurt.
Nose tackle DJ Jones sustained a shoulder injury and went to the locker room for the last 30 minutes of practice.
Coach Kyle Shanahan did not have a direct update on Jones after the game, which previously showed the power lightning he also showed last season before an ankle injury kept him out of the playoffs.
Jones stood out in Thursday’s linemen drills, first by pancaking newly signed center Hroniss Grasu, then hitting twice over potential starter Daniel Brunskills, first with a spinning motion and then again by ripping past him.
While Jones is a true nose pack, the 49ers have respectable options on the interior when he’s out for a while, including first pick-up Javon Kinlaw, 2017 No. 3 general pick Solomon Thomas and former reserves Kevin Givens and Kentavius Street. Plus, Arik Armstead practiced for the first time after missing four sessions with back tightness. Undrafted rookie Darrion Daniels hustles as a potential stealer.
Here are other key takeaways from Thursday’s session, following Wednesday’s practice day:
1. Bosa’s fight Williams
As impressive and improved as Nick Bosa looks, the reigning rookie of the year has a tough time getting past new left tackle Trent Williams, the seven-time Pro Bowler who came into a draft day trade from Washington.
Do not panic about Bosa. He receives practical training and remains a technical-sounding maniac. Also, he would have fired Jimmy Garoppolo Thursday in a red zone drill, if allowed.
“I’m really confident in Jimmy’s left,” Bosa said. ‘Not that the rest of the O-line is not great. Having Trent will be a huge help to him. … Jimmy’s are spoiled, with Joe (Staley) and now Trent, so it’s not getting much better. ”
It is Williams’ addition that is particularly impressive, and that is encouraging for an offensive line that is turning revolution centers at a steady pace. Shanahan said Williams was ‘everything we expected’ and looked as athletic as the day he arrived in Washington as the no. 4 concept in 2010.
2. Samuel, Blair in week 1?
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel (foot) and defensive end Ronald Blair (knee) could be ready by September 13, but Shanahan does not expect center Weston Richburg (foot), wide receiver Richie James Jr. (wrist) as defensive lineman Jullian Taylor (knee) so that trio could remain on injury lists for the first six weeks.
Center Ben Garland (ankle) and nickel back K’Waun Williams (calf) could miss the next few weeks; training camp and full view for reporters ends next Friday. Defensive lineman Arik Armstead joined the practice for the first time after missing the first four exercises with tightness of the back.
While Shanahan has provided clarity on various injuries, he is not mandated to do so and informed reporters he will be more secretive this month with his depth map, as there are no exposition games for opponents to scout.
3. Air quality monitoring
Santa Clara’s air quality index shifted around 78 during the 49ers’ practice, and that moderate level was an upgrade over Wednesday, when the 49ers had a scheduled day of practice and avoided the more dangerous air from wildfires. Shanahan said the 49ers’ threshold for canceling the practice is a 200 reading on the air quality index.
looks like # 49ers @ gkittle46 has a sweet new van pic.twitter.com/0wZpid2Zoe
– Cam Inman (@CamInman) August 20, 2020
4. Aiyuk on Garoppolo
Rookie Brandon Aiyuk’s first week of training camp practice was impressive, and by often running with the first-string unit, he soon met Jimmy Garoppolo,
Aiyuk credits that to a relationship that began with informal workouts in San Jose State this offseason, and that he still adapts to how “that ball is right on you” with the rapid release of Garoppolo.
Garoppolo said that Aiyuk sees the field as a quarterback, to which Aiyuk replied: ‘I do not know if I see field as well as he does, but I just try to be quarterback friendly, see zones and run routes as he expects me to. to perform. ”
5. Garoppolo’s knee support
This may not be an enduring storyline, but it is. All Garoppolo sees with it, and what we saw Thursday, was him officially practicing this camp for the first time without his left knee joint. He wore it the previous four sessions after not using the brace in passages and conditioning for the first two weeks of camp.
Did he do better than last season when he returned from knee replacement? Well, he is not envious of scrambling out of the bag, but he had a nice bootleg past Bosa for a finish to Ross Dwelley.
6. Close end league
Jordan Reed is limited to individual fitness with a coach on the sidelines, and that has shown Dwelley his steps from last season’s role as a reserve. Shanahan said he hopes Reed joins the team’s bubbles sooner rather than later, ‘but that Dwelley impresses, as does rookie Charlie Woerner. Will the 49ers carry four tight ends or three? Stay tuned.
7. Dion Jordan appears
Defensive end Dion Jordan jumped the first shift of training camp after being taken to the ground in the one-on-one drill with first-year tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith. Both players lost their balance and tumbled to the ground, then rode other linemen into breaking the fracks.
Jordan arrived in the NFL as the 2013 No. 3 overall pick by Miami and has struggled throughout his career, so he is not a roster lock. But let no one-on-one session define him. He rode with in the bubbles of the team and had a benevolent sack from Nick Mullens.
8. Other ‘energy’ arises
Many other players got chippy in practice, such as running backs and linebackers to exchange words. Shanahan shook the group up late in practice, and later told reporters he liked the higher energy.
“There was some extracurricular game going on, but that’s just football,” Dwelley said. ‘Things get aggressive and heated. We are not getting pre-season games, so these practices will be huge for our development before week 1. ”
9. Crisis at center
With Garland a few weeks away due to Tuesday’s ankle injury, Daniel Brunskill will have several chances to audition at center, while also being considered a waiting judge, where he opened camp in a competition with Tom Compton.
The 49ers have closed four centers for this camp: Richburg opened on the physically-non-executive list, Spencer Long retired Sunday after his first-day comeo, Jake Brendel refused to cross the COVID-19 path, and now Garland is hurting.
This marked Thursday’s debut of Grasu, formerly of the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens. Grasu figures to work with the reserves before taking a shot in the depth map.
10. Pettis’ path
Dante Pettis on Tuesday produced the best practice of his up-and-coming career Tuesday, Shanahan confirmed, noting that he “kept the behavior and aggression in the path of the embedded receiver.” Pettis had five receptions on Tuesday, but no Thursday, and he was not on target either.
On the receiving side, Pettis’ roster could hang on to his returning ability, and the 49ers need someone to fill in for the obligatory James, though the 2017-18 return could be Trent Taylor. Pettis, a revenue-back in high school in Washington, must now prove that he is certainly handed over at fielding points in practice, Shanahan concluded.
