Podcast: 49ers Offseason Stories with SI's Conor Orr →
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports


49ers Training Camp Day 1 Breakdown: Defense

Rohan Chakravarthi
Jul 27, 2022 at 4:45 PM--


The San Francisco 49ers began training camp practices on Wednesday, marking the first time since June that players hit the field with their teammates for a 75-minute practice that involved individual drills, team drills, 7-on-7s, and some 11-on-11s as well.

RELATED 49ers Training Camp Day 1 Breakdown: Offense

As it was the first day of training camp, pads weren't on. They're likely to come on during Monday's practice, however; the exact date is unknown currently.



Here were the 49ers' starters on defense:

DE Samson Ebukam
DT Arik Armstead
DT Javon Kinlaw
DE Nick Bosa
LB Fred Warner
LB Azeez Al-Shaair
LB Dre Greenlaw
CB Charvarius Ward
CB Emmanuel Moseley
NB Darqueze Dennard
S Jimmie Ward
S Talanoa Hufanga

Defense


Defensive Line

The defensive line looked as good as advertised on Wednesday, as they racked up several pressures during the scrimmage period, including a nice move by rookie Drake Jackson on backup right tackle Jaylon Moore.

In positional drills, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw looked like he regained his speed and explosiveness, and is poised to start alongside Arik Armstead as long as he remains healthy.

Here were the defensive line rotations:

1st Team
DE Samson Ebukam
DT Arik Armstead
DT Javon Kinlaw
DE Nick Bosa

2nd Team
DE Kerry Hyder/Drake Jackson
DT Kevin Givens
DT Maurice Hurst
DE Charles Omenihu

3rd Team
DE Jordan Willis
DT Kevin Atkins
DT Hassan Ridgeway
DE Kemoko Turay

Arik Armstead stood out during scrimmages and overall, had the best day of any defensive lineman on Wednesday, albeit without pads on.

As training camp progresses and pads come on, it'll be interesting to see which of the many edge rushers and defensive tackles stand out amongst their peers.

Linebackers

The biggest news about the linebackers came early in practice when Azeez Al-Shaair collided with Kyle Juszczyk and was down for a minute, although he later returned to practice and it was confirmed that he just had the wind knocked out of him.

The starting linebackers remained the same, but the battle between Al-Shaair and Greenlaw in Nickel packages will be something to watch as both are finally fully healthy.

Here were the linebacker rotations:

1st Team
SLB Azeez Al-Shaair
MLB Fred Warner
WLB Dre Greenlaw

2nd Team
SLB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
MLB Curtis Robinson
WLB Oren Burks

3rd Team
SLB Segun Olubi
MLB Jeremiah Gemmel
WLB Marcelino McCrary-Ball

The quiet standout was backup linebacker Curtis Robinson, who reportedly stood out during the early portion of the offseason, and was very vocal and communicative with his fellow linebackers when on the field Wednesday. The Stanford product is a sleeper candidate to potentially make the 53-man roster.

Cornerbacks


Top cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Charvarius Ward had strong performances during their minimal appearances on Wednesday, as Moseley had two pass-breakups on his two targets, while Ward didn't see a single pass thrown his way.

Here were the cornerback rotations:

1st Team
CB Charvarius Ward
CB Emmanuel Moseley
NB Darqueze Dennard

2nd Team
CB Ambry Thomas
CB Deommodore Lenoir
NB Samuel Womack

3rd Team
CB Ka'Darr Hollman
CB Tariq Castro-Fields
NB Qwuantrezz Knight

After starting at slot cornerback throughout the offseason, Dennard continues to get all the first-team reps at the position and is the current favorite to start.

Of the backups, cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Tariq Castro-Fields looked good in positional drills, with both making acrobatic plays on the ball in coverage.

Ambry Thomas spent all of his time on the outside today, and had his ups and downs, allowing a 50-yard touchdown to Malik Turner where the cornerback was not only a step behind, but mistimed his jump to make a play on the ball. Apart from that, Thomas mainly held his group for the duration of practice, although the 49ers did play softer coverage during scrimmages.

Safeties


Talanoa Hufanga and Jimmie Ward were the starters, once again, at safety, with the USC product being the first one out on the field to begin practice on Wednesday.

Here were the safety rotations:

1st Team
SS Talanoa Hufanga
FS Jimmie Ward

2nd Team
FS Tarvarius Moore/Dontae Johnson
SS George Odum

3rd Team
FS Tayler Hawkins
SS Leon O'Neal

Hufanga was somewhat of a vocal leader on Wednesday, mentoring O'Neal on several plays, while Ward continued with his confident demeanor on the field.

As for the backups, safety Dontae Johnson was seen in single-high looks while playing on the second-team, perhaps alluding to a coverage that the 49ers will implement more in 2022. Johnson has been receiving the majority of his snaps at safety this offseason.

Special Teams

Much wasn't revealed about special teams on Wednesday, however; several 49ers were fielding kickoffs/punts, which gave some insight on who may potentially carry that role in the season.

There were four receivers returning kicks: Ray-Ray McCloud, Danny Gray, Marcus Johnson, and KeeSean Johnson.

McCloud was one of the most effective returners in 2021, as he returned 38 punts(1st in NFL) for 367 yards(1st in NFL), averaging 9.7 yards per return(3rd in NFL).

Additionally, McCloud was a good kick returner, as he returned 35 kicks(3rd in NFL) for 776 yards(4th in NFL), averaging 22.2 yards per return(15th in NFL).

However, McCloud did have somewhat of a fumbling issue during his career in Pittsburgh, coughing up 11 fumbles during his four seasons as a returner.

Emphasizing one of the two returning fields could help McCloud's efficiency in 2021, and rookie Danny Gray may be the best option to handle the other returning role as of now.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.



LISTEN

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



49ers met with Wisconsin S John Torchio, who may attend local pro day ahead of NFL Draft

By David Bonilla
Mar 23

According to Rohan Chakravarthi, the San Francisco 49ers spoke with Wisconsin safety John Torchio on Thursday at the school's pro day. The defensive back may attend the team's local pro day before the 2023 NFL Draft. Torchio (6-1, 208) registered 55 tackles, three tackles for a loss, a sack, six passes defensed, five interceptions, and two touchdowns through 13 game appearances as a senior in 2022, per Sports Reference. He recorded 97 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, seven passes defensed, nine interceptions, and two touchdowns through his four collegiate



Podcast: 49ers with Grant Cohn: Are the 49ers the favorites in the NFC with Trey Lance?

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 24

Rohan Chakravarthi and Grant Cohn discuss whether the 49ers are favorites in the NFC after free agency. The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below. ?feature=share You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our



49ers considered trading Mike McGlinchey last year

By David Bonilla
Mar 25

Mike McGlinchey received a life-changing payday, signing a five-year, $87.5 million deal with the Denver Broncos. The offensive tackle has known for a while that he would not return to the San Francisco 49ers, the only NFL team he has played for and the one that made him the No. 9 overall pick in 2018. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear to McGlinchey that he was likely playing his final months for the team. There was too much money invested in other spots, and the 49ers knew they couldn't compete with other interested teams. Behind the scenes, Lynch and Shanahan kept McGlinchey in the loop of what the team was thinking, and everything pointed to the tackle playing elsewhere in 2023 … maybe even



Photo: Recovering 49ers QB Brock Purdy spotted by fan

By David Bonilla
Mar 26

Brock Purdy can begin throwing again sometime in June. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is expected to be ready to hit the field—practice or in-game—sometime in September. Purdy is recovering from surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury sustained in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He hasn't been seen since the surgery, with his last public appearance taking place In Arizona, during the week leading to the Super Bowl. One fan spotted Purdy, though, getting a photo with the 49ers quarterback (h/t TheSFNiners). As expected, Purdy is wearing a massive brace on his throwing arm,


Featured

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone