49ers 8/11 practice: Talanoa Hufanga, defense deliver; Trey Lance impresses

The San Francisco 49ers held their 12th of 13 scheduled training camp practices today. The team is preparing to host the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi's Stadium on Saturday.

Below are some notes from today's practice, much of it courtesy of various media sources.

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Roster moves

The 49ers announced the signing of linebacker Donald Payne and the release of wide receiver Kevin White before practice.


ESPN's Adam Schefter reported during practice that the 49ers are signing safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Did not practice

• LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee)
• DE Samson Ebukam (leg)
• LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (concussion)
• S Tony Jefferson (hamstring)
• TE MyCole Pruitt (calf)

Defensive end Samson Ebukam, tight end MyCole Pruitt, and linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles were suited up but worked on a side field.

Injury updates

Wide receiver Jalen Hurd (knee) returned to practice after sitting out yesterday due to an undisclosed setback. Defensive linemen Arik Armstead (groin) returned to practice.


Rookie Hype Machine

Today, it was linebacker Justin Hilliard's turn to fire up the fans before practice.


QB watch

Trey Lance got his second rep of training camp behind the first-team offensive line. It resulted in a successful zone-read run to running back Trey Sermon. (Sacramento Bee)

Jimmy Garoppolo tossed a badly thrown deep ball down the right sideline with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk as the intended target. It was Lance's turn next, and the rookie hit wide receiver Deebo Samuel perfectly in the same spot for an over 40-yard completion. (KNBR) Lance also had a bullet to Aiyuk on another snap. (The Athletic)

Garoppolo also overthrew fullback Kyle Juszczyk down the right sideline while dealing with pressure from the defense. "He also should have been picked off by K'Waun Williams, but Dre Greenlaw came in hot, didn't see him, and knocked it out," wrote Jake Hutchinson. (KNBR)

Late during practice, cornerback Jason Verrett intercepted a "horrible" pass by Garoppolo intended for Samuel. (KNBR) It was Garoppolo's second interception of the day. (Bay Area News Group)

Garoppolo was 13-of-22 passing with two interceptions during team drills. Although, there is some debate on that second interception (see below). Lance was 15-of-20 with five runs. (Bay Area News Group)

Lance appears to be building some good chemistry with Trent Sherfield, connecting with the wide receiver multiple times today, including once while under pressure from three defenders.

"He's in the right spot at the right time," Lance said of Sherfield after practice. "He doesn't bust. He's on his assignment at all times, and he's just the first-guy-in, last-guy-out type of guy."

Hutchinson sounded very impressed with Lance's outing, writing, "Honestly, most of Lance's throws — except for a tipped, nearly intercepted ball on a play which was already dead from a sack — were without fault. He looked, and maybe for the first time in a few practices, like the clear-cut best quarterback on the team." Although, he notes that Lance is working primarily with and against the second-team units. (KNBR)

Other notes

It was USC vs. UCLA for what might have been the play of the day. Safety Talanoa Hufanga came away with a one-handed grab of a Josh Rosen-thrown deep ball. The fifth-round draft pick is turning a few heads. (Sacramento Bee)

"I was really excited to see the play Huff made," defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans commented. "It was an awesome play. I was excited for him to make that play and continue to build confidence. He's getting better and better each day. ... Really smart guy. He's doing an awesome job, and he's progressing every day, so I was excited. I think I jumped up with him when he made that play. I was very excited to see that."

Linebacker Jonas Griffith delivered a "loud pop" on George Kittle, pushing the tight end out of bounds. "Most physical moment of practice so far. Griffith is certainly coming along. I predict he'll at least make the practice squad," wrote David Lombardi. (The Athletic)

As for the physical training camp and being the recipient of big hits, Kittle declared, "Just getting ready for football then. ... I'm pretty sure whoever hit me ended up on the ground, and I was still standing, so it is what it is."

It looked like linebacker Dre Greenlaw had the day's third interception, coming away with the tipped pass from Garoppolo. (Bay Area News Group) Although, there is some debate on the play. It was reportedly ruled a sack, which would eliminate the pick.

Defensive linemen D.J. Jones and Jordan Willis each had would-be sacks. (KNBR)

Jalen Hurd participated in eight plays during team drills but was never targeted. Rookie cornerback Ambry Thomas received an earful from veteran Tavon Wilson on the sideline after failing to touch down wide receiver River Cracraft. Cracraft got up and continued with the play, hauling in a 35-yard pass from quarterback Nate Sudfeld. Tight end Jordan Matthews had a "bad drop" on a well-thrown pass from Rosen. Rookie cornerback Deommodore Lenoir got a hand on the football and stripped it from Aiyuk's grasp. (NBC Sports Bay Area)

Other videos from practice


Remaining training camp practice

• Thursday, August 12

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