The San Francisco 49ers had a non-padded practice on Wednesday, softening the workload after going an extra 11-on-11 session on Tuesday, as multiple key players got veteran rest days, including tight end George Kittle.
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While center Daniel Brunskill looked good playing the majority of the first-team reps on Tuesday, the musical chairs continued as veteran Jake Brendel was the first-team starter on Wednesday in what seemed to be an even split.
Offense
Quarterbacks
Trey Lance completed 3/9 passes today, which included two drops and two touchdowns. Lance was 1/7 during the 11-on-11 portion of the day, but 2/2 in the red zone. Here's a breakdown of his throws.
Lance looked to throw deep on four of his nine passes, but was off-target on two well-covered throws near the sideline, had a drop by Deebo Samuel on a would-be touchdown, and a miscommunication with Samuel, who ran a different route on the play.
On another throw, Lance faced a charging Samson Ebukam and attempted to alter the throw to avoid a batted pass, which ended up too high for JaMycal Hasty in the flat.
Today was a smaller install with several shorter throws after Tuesday's long practice, and Nate Sudfeld completed 8/8 passes with a touchdown, while Brock Purdy finished 3/6 with an interception off a bobbled reception.
Lance continued to get work in the zone-read game and had one questionable rep as well as one really good rep. On the first play, Lance kept the ball, rushing to the left right into a tackle for loss from a waiting Fred Warner. With the defensive look, he should've likely handed it off to Jeff Wilson Jr. rushing to the right, which could've resulted in positive yardage. On the second play, Lance correctly identified the linebacker to the left side that was step-in-step on the play, deked him with the fake handoff to Elijah Mitchell, and rushed up the middle for a good 6-7 yard gain with good blocking on the play.
Once again, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was on the practice field, this time working directly on the main field rather than the sidelines, getting his throwing program in while practice was running on the other side. Talk about awkward.
Running Backs
Elijah Mitchell continued to take a majority of the first-team reps at running back on Wednesday, seeing eight total touches on 41 offensive plays. However, Mitchell did drop an easy 4-yard throw in the flat on one of his two targets.
Jeff Wilson Jr. returned to the fold on Wednesday after not being a part of team drills over the past two days and got an extended run with the first and second-team offense, bumping Tyrion Davis-Price and Jordan Mason down on the depth chart.
Wilson had his best practice yet after looking slower and appearing to lack his previous explosiveness during last week's practices, and he showcased his smarts, making decisive cuts for a couple of good gains. He's once again in the mix, further complicating the running back battle.
Trey Sermon was the only other player to get first-team carries on Wednesday and had a bit of a slower day, although that could be explained by the lack of pads for the offensive line, which limited the run game at times on the day.
Tyrion Davis-Price had a good practice on Wednesday, showcasing his ability to use his burst to get to the edge for a good run. After a slow start yesterday, Davis-Price had a strong finish to Tuesday's practice and hasn't looked back since.
Jordan Mason got limited touches today, having a three-yard rush and a three-yard completion, for which he earned five yards after the catch. Mason's receiving ability seems to be his separating factor from the other running backs in the group, placing him in the battle for a roster spot as well.
JaMycal Hasty caught one of the two passing touchdowns on Wednesday. Originally, I hadn't included it as a part of Lance's stats because I believed Hasty would've been stopped, but got a second opinion. He's one of the receivers in the backfield, but I'm not as confident in him based on his track record.
However, I can understand why the coaching staff likes him, and currently, based on rotations and play, he appears to be battling for that fourth running-back spot with Mason and Wilson.
Wide Receivers
Brandon Aiyuk continued his offensive dominance, catching two difficult touchdown passes, as well as a tough 10-12 yard catch over Ambry Thomas near the sideline.
The top receiver also won both of his 1-on-1 reps, defeating both Charvarius Ward and Jimmie Ward on separate reps. He's been the most consistent player in 1-on-1s as well.
Deebo Samuel and Trey Lance continue to work on their connection, which was up-and-down on Wednesday as Lance accurately hit the receiver on a nice over-the-shoulder throw, but Samuel then dropped a pass with Emmanuel Moseley close in coverage. Then, on another incompletion, Samuel ran a 20-yard out-route, while Trey Lance threw a 40-yard go-route pass.
Rookie receiver Tay Martin had a great day in 1-on-1s, showcasing a great release off the line as he beat Jimmie Ward, Ka'Darr Hollman, and Qwuantrezz Knight on separate reps.
Receiver Jauan Jennings continued his drop issues. He had a 1-on-1 rep against Samuel Womack, beating him to the endzone on a great route, but dropped the wide-open pass near the sideline. Jennings dropped a ball yesterday as well after beating Charvarius Ward on a route, and a third pass in the red zone on Monday. It's been a quieter second week for Jennings after he was targeted a lot during the first week of training camp.
Ray-Ray McCloud was back in the action on Wednesday, catching a 20-yard and 10-yard pass from Nate Sudfeld out of the slot. He appeared to injure himself earlier in the week, although nothing was disclosed and the receiver was back out in team drills today.
Tight Ends
Top tight end George Kittle had a rest day, so the backup tight ends got a chance to try and separate themselves from the bunch.
Tanner Hudson won two 1-on-1 reps, both against Leon O'Neal, while Ross Dwelley beat both Tarvarius Moore and Talanoa Hufanga on good routes to win 1-on-1 battles.
Tyler Kroft was held in check by Hufanga on his first rep, although he beat George Odum later on in a 1-on-1 rep.
Hudson saw three targets on Wednesday, including an impressive 25-yard catch, "Mossing" Marcelino McCrary-Ball at the catch-point, but dropping the pass as he turned around due to a concentration miscue.
None of the other tight ends really saw any other action during 11-on-11s, failing to truly separate themselves, perhaps creating an issue as to who can really serve as the third tight end on the roster.
In unfortunate news, veteran receiver-turned-tight-end Jordan Matthews tore his ACL on Monday and is out for the season after injuring himself on a non-contact 1-on-1 rep where he was seen limping and slowly jogging off the field.
He had been the second-best tight end behind Kittle to that point, making a strong case for a roster spot prior to the injury.
Offensive Line
The offensive line was without pads on Wednesday, leaving their performance as one to take with a grain of salt.
The pass protection was better than expected at times, as the full starting offensive line saw action on Wednesday, with right tackle Mike McGlinchey back in the fold.
Jake Brendel and Daniel Brunskill continued to split first-team reps, which has appeared to hurt the cohesion of the interior offensive line at times, especially with the run-game during inside-zone failing to fully materialize on Wednesday.
Brendel gave up a sack to defensive tackle Kevin Givens, while Spencer Burford had a good overall day, keeping Givens, who has been a pleasant surprise, in check.
Burford and Brunskill combined for a nice block in the red zone period, paving the way for an Elijah Mitchell five-yard run.
Friday and Saturday will give a better indicator of performance when pads return, providing the offensive line a better chance to sustain blocks and create more "game-like" scenarios.
Stay tuned for Wednesday's coverage!