49ers 8/7 practice: 19,021 fans return to Levi’s Stadium

The San Francisco 49ers held their ninth of 13 scheduled training camp practices. The location changed from previous practices, though. The session was held inside Levi's Stadium and represented the first time the venue hosted 49ers fans since the NFC Championship Game in January of 2020.

19,021 fans filled the stadium.

Below are some practice notes from various media sources.

Did not practice:

• LB Azeez Al-Shaair (leg)
• DL Arik Armstead (groin)
• DE Samson Ebukam (leg)
• DT Javon Kinlaw (maintenance day)
• TE MyCole Pruitt (calf)

Defensive lineman Zach Kerr (groin) and Kentavius Street (unknown) returned to practice after missing Friday's session. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw received the day off.

Cornerback Ken Webster left practice with what appeared to be a left arm or shoulder injury after getting tangled up with tight end Jordan Matthews.

Rookie Hype Machine

Rookie cornerbacks Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir got fans fired up before practice.

QB watch

Team drills included a scenario giving the offense 1:15 on the clock and starting from its own 35-yard line. Jimmy Garoppolo moved the first-team offense down the field and capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle, who was covered by Lenoir. (KNBR)

Kittle spiked the football, which made the football-hungry crowd go wild. (Bay Area News Group)

Garoppolo got the team in field goal range on another drive. David Lombardi of The Athletic broke that field-goal-scoring drive play by play.

One of Trey Lance's drives ended with an interception. The football bounced off the hands of rookie running back Elijah Mitchell and into the hands of Marcell Harris, who is working at linebacker. (KNBR) Lance's two other drives ended up being three-and-outs. (Sacramento Bee) "Overall, Lance wasn't as sharp, for a second straight practice," wrote Cam Inman. (Bay Area News Group)

Lance finished the day 11-of-19 passing during team drills. Garoppolo was 14-of-23. (The Athletic) One of the veteran's passes, a 40-yard throw toward Kittle over the middle, was broken up by safety Jimmy Ward and linebacker Fred Warner. (Bay Area News Group)

Josh Rosen finished 4-of-4 while Nate Sudfeld was 1-of-2. (NBC Sports Bay Area)

Other notes

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk looked good in one-on-one drills beating Thomas and Lenoir for two "stand-out" reps. Another receiver, Travis Benjamin, made sure fans remember he is still on the roster after opting out last season. "The 31-year-old receiver burned Webster in a 1-on-1 rep before the defensive back left practice due to an injury," wrote Jennifer Lee Chan. (NBC Sports Bay Area)

Cornerback Jason Verrett had a good practice. He recorded a couple of pass breakups during team drills while going against wide receiver Deebo Samuel, including an impressive diving one along the sideline. (Sacramento Bee) Verrett got his fingers on another pass that would have otherwise landed in Aiyuk's hands for a first down. (NBC Sports Bay Area)

The fans at Levi's Stadium nearly scared the (bleep) out of offensive tackle Trent Williams, who has not been in front of that many people since 2018. He didn't play in 2019.

"Obviously, they had some fans on the road last year, but for me, walking out of a home locker room, and having the fans—I mean, honestly, it almost scared the s--t out of ... I mean, excuse my language," Williams said. "It almost scared me because I'm just walking out for normal practice. I forget that the fans are there.

"As soon as you walk out, you just hear a thunderous roar. I'm like, 'Oh.' I mean, obviously I was walking behind (George) Kittle and (Nick) Bosa, so they had reasons to scream, but it definitely was one of those benchmarks. Like, 'Oh, hold on, I forgot what it feels like to be cheered on.'"

Defensive end Nick Bosa participated in warmup and individual drills. However, he is still being held out of team drills.

Another defensive end, Eddie Yarbrough, stood out with two would-be sacks of Lance and even broke up one of the rookie's passes.

"Yarbrough is a guy who came in late during training camp and had a late start to training camp, but he stepped in and he's done really well," defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said after practice. "The guy, he never stops. That's one thing I like about Yarbrough, he never stops. Always good energy, always going, great motor, great effort. And he's always around the ball making plays. So Yarbrough has a good job for us."

Quick trip to Canton

Head coach Kyle Shanahan was initially scheduled to speak with reporters after practice. But he was in a hurry to get out of Levi's Stadium, so Ryans took his place. Shanahan and assistant general manager Adam Peters left practice and headed to the airport.

As John Lynch explained earlier this week, the two will travel to Canton, Ohio to join the 49ers general manager for his Hall of Fame party tonight. Team CEO Jed York is already there.

Shanahan and Peters plan to return in time for tomorrow's practice in Santa Clara.

Other videos from practice

Remaining training camp practices

• Sunday, August 8
• Tuesday, August 10
• Wednesday, August 11
• Thursday, August 12