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San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly met with the media prior to Friday's practice and covered a number of topics. Kelly started off by stating that he was impressed with how the team arrived condition-wise. "Really impressed with the overall group and what they came back in," said Kelly. "I think they understood what we demand out of our training session and what we're trying to get accomplished and they came in ready to go and they've been really good so far."
Injuries
WR Eric Rogers suffered a torn ACL during practice on Thursday and will be out for the season. The team discovered the injury following an MRI on Thursday. It was a non-contact injury. The team will likely look to sign another wide receiver to take his place on the 90-man roster.
WR Torrey Smith's injury was minor and he will be ready to go today.
WR Bruce Ellington will return to practice today after a finger injury.
SS Jaquiski Tartt (leg) is expected to return soon.
CB Will Redmond (ACL) and
DB L.J. McCray (knee) have been limited.
Quarterbacks
Kelly was asked what he looks for from his quarterbacks during practice. "You look at precision," Kelly answered. "How well are they operating. What's their decision making process? Are they hanging too long on a read? Are they quick to move on if in their progression one or two is covered? How quickly do they get to three? Do they get stuck? Do they get caught on 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 holding the ball too long? Part of it is getting the ball out on time. It's a timing based offense in terms of getting the ball out. So those are things that you can observe."
Kelly went on to say that he has been impressed by what he has seen out of both
Blaine Gabbert and
Colin Kaepernick, especially considering that the latter did not get the reps in the spring due to his rehab from injury. "For him to come in and step in for his first couple of days and done what he's done, that's been very impressive to us," said Kelly. The coaching staff has also been high on Gabbert because he was the one that was getting the majority of the reps in practices prior to training camp. "I think it's a real healthy competition," added Kelly.
Kelly also pointed out that it is really good to have depth at the quarterback position because very rarely does one guy make it through the entire season. The team has not yet decided who will start the 49ers' first exhibition game. They likely will not make that call until after their joint-practice with the Houston Texans.
Impressive players/groups
Kelly stated that the team's defensive backs have been around the ball a lot during training camp, which is a good sign for the team's defense. He stated that some of the younger guys may be fighting beyond five yards, which is not allowed. For that reason, Kelly would love to have some officials in there at practice. The team will have some officials at practice during a couple of days next week.
Kelly felt that
CB Rashard Robinson has been very competitive. "He's got a really good skill set," said Kelly. "He's got some physicality and the line of scrimmage, but he's got speed and some savvy to match routes once he gets locked up with a receiver."
Kelly said that he has been pleased with the defensive line and that they have done a really good job. He also complimented the team's running backs, defensive backs, and outside linebackers.
He also feels that rookie
QB Jeff Driskel is really coming along. He has his good plays and his bad plays. The coaching staff wants to expose him to as much as they can so they can reduce his mistakes.
NaVorro Bowman
"He's obviously the alpha dog on that defense and sets a tone for everybody, just in how he conducts himself and everything that he does," said Kelly of
ILB NaVorro Bowman, who recently signed a four-year contract extension. "I was very excited to find out that he's going to be here for a long time. That's the type of person he is and that's the type of people you want to build your defense around. That's the type of person you want to build your organization around."
The San Francisco 49ers' signing of cornerback Isaac Yiadom to a one-year deal wasn't a headline-grabbing move. It wasn't even the Bay Area team's most significant free-agency move thus far. That would be defensive end Leonard Floyd signing a two-year deal with the 49ers.
However, San Francisco hopes Yiadom proves to be one of its more underrated signings. The 28-year-old defensive back is coming off his best NFL season. Yiadom's 81.1 overall grade and 80.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus were career highs. Opposing quarterbacks completed 50 percent of their passes (22 of 44) and owned an 84.4 passer rating when targeting the former New Orleans Saints defender in 2023.
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General manager John Lynch addressed reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Monday, emphasizing the San Francisco 49ers' active pursuit of a contract extension for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
There has been significant speculation surrounding Aiyuk's status this offseason. The receiver is slated to play on his fifth-year option, which guarantees him $14.124 million in 2024.
While the team would be content with Aiyuk playing on that fifth-year option, it would prefer to secure the star receiver to a long-term deal before he returns to the field.
RELATED: Brandon Aiyuk reacts to John Lynch's latest contract negotiation
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that former Missouri State wide receiver Terique Owens worked out in front of more than 20 NFL scouts today at the University of Missouri. Among the scouts present were representatives from the San Francisco 49ers. Owens' performance was highlighted by a 40-yard dash time of 4.51 seconds, a vertical jump of 38.5 inches, and a broad jump of 10 feet, four inches.
Terique Owens is the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, who spent his first eight NFL seasons with the 49ers.
Missouri State WR Terique Owens, son of Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, worked out in front of
(Episode 322) — Al Sacco and Brian Renick react to the Zach Wilson rumors, what the 49ers should look for in QB2, negative Al speaks up, how the offensive side of the ball is complete for now, replacing all of the superstars will be a challenge, why the 49ers need to draft well this year and next, and more. Note: This episode was recorded before news of Josh Dobbs' signing.
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