The 49ers held their second practice session of training camp Thursday, which was the first for quarterback Brock Purdy as he continued his comeback from offseason elbow surgery.
Purdy was, as one might expect, rusty on Thursday as he missed some throws in his first on-field action with his teammates since injuring his elbow in January's NFC Championship game. But the good news is he picked up where he left off in terms of arm strength and showed no aftereffects of the injury that originally put his status for the season opener in doubt.
Now that Purdy is back on the practice field, is it a safe bet to assume he'll be under center in Week 1 when the 49ers face the Pittsburgh Steelers? Purdy talked about that a bit Thursday, as we'll get into in this edition of 49ers Notebook. We'll also discuss new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks' thoughts on the defensive line, left tackle Trent Williams' interesting opinion on the 49ers' Super Bowl window, and much more.
Not time to name a starter yet
Fans and media will surely be wondering in the weeks ahead about Purdy's status as the possible opening day starter until head coach Kyle Shanahan announces a decision. Purdy was asked Thursday if there had been any discussions with Shanahan about starting and replied by saying he's focusing more on improvement at the moment.
"No, we haven't had any conversation like that," Purdy said. "It's 'How can I be great today?' 'At practice, let's get these reps, let's get the mental reps, and let's continue to grow.' Obviously what we put on tape last year was great and all, but there's still a lot of areas where I have to grow and get better and stuff. That's just where I'm at. We're not trying to get too far ahead of ourselves."
Shanahan told reporters earlier in the week that Purdy will be taking practices off during training camp but will be working with the first team when he's on the field. That's a big difference from last year, when Purdy was behind Trey Lance and Nate Sudfeld as a rookie.
"Compared to last year, I had basically two reps at the end of each period, so I didn't have that many reps, and then I was able to go into preseason and get some reps," Purdy said. "But now coming in, being able to get a lot more looks on the defense and sort of take command of the huddle and stuff. Like for me it feels a lot better.
"I feel more comfortable with the playbook and everything, but being away, not getting the offseason reps and OTAs, I've just got to get back into that kind of state of mind where head bullets are flying."
Pain free
The best news to come from Thursday's practice was how Purdy threw the ball in his first action since his injury, and how good he felt afterwards. Purdy told reporters his "arm feels great," and outside of the typical post-throwing ice session any quarterback might go through, there's nothing out of the ordinary he'll need to do in terms of soreness.
"So I've actually worked up to this point, throwing back-to-back days -- I'll have a heavy day of throwing and the next day maybe tone it down a little bit," Purdy said. "But I've worked up to get to this point where my arm doesn't hurt."
In the meantime, Purdy will continue to try to shake the rust off and get his passes back on target to his receivers.
"Obviously, being out there for my first day, I wanted to let it rip and all that, but it felt good coming out of my hand," Purdy said. "I just got to be on the same page with them and get more reps."
Exceptional depth
New defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has been around the NFL for a long time, having had a number of coaching stints as a head coach, defensive coordinator, or defensive backs coach since making his debut in the league in 2005. He told reporters Thursday that the 49ers have an embarrassment of riches on the defensive line he didn't see at any of the stops he made on his way to San Francisco.
"I've probably never been around a group like this on defense, particularly up front," Wilks said, later elaborating, "When I say having been around a group like this, that's what I mean -- a group. I mean, we have depth. And it's not when one guy comes out that you feel like, okay, we're going to drop off. No, not at all."
Wilks is without his top defensive lineman at the moment -- defensive end Nick Bosa, who is holding out while awaiting a new contract -- but he still has a wealth of talent and experience to work with in players such as Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, Drake Jackson, Kevin Givens, Clelin Ferrell, and Javon Kinlaw, among others.
"The depth that we have across the board, inside and out, man, that's what I'm talking about," Wilks said. "I've never been around anything like this."
Wilks on Kinlaw, Hargrave
Defensive tackles Javon Kinlaw and Javon Hargrave will be among the most-watched defensive linemen during training camp and the preseason, due to Kinlaw being on the spot after three injury-riddled seasons and Hargrave being in his first year with the 49ers after signing a big free agent deal in March. Wilks spoke briefly on each player and seemed to be impressed with the former first-round pick Kinlaw in particular, who seems to be fit and focused heading into his fourth NFL season.
"From day one I've been talking about Kinlaw and his progression," Wilks said. "He stayed here all summer, dedicated himself for trying to continue to get his body right. Mentally. He's in a great spot and just love the way he's playing. Violent hands up front, getting off the ball, and the way he's turning and running and getting to the football is amazing. I know Kyle (Shanahan) showed one of the plays in the team meeting this morning with him just coming out of the stack, as we call it, and I'm just excited right now and just looking for him to have a great year."
While Kinlaw will be out to prove he can stay healthy and put together a consistent season, Hargrave will be expected to deliver significant results after signing an $80 million deal with the 49ers in March. Wilks talked about what makes Hargrave difficult to stop.
"Pad level. Very explosive," Wilks said. "Low center of gravity to the ground. He has a great quick first step coming off the ball and he's very powerful."
Meanwhile, Hargrave took a few minutes to speak to reporters Thursday and commented on Kinlaw, whom he has known since well before his days with the 49ers.
"I kind of met Javon like a few years ago, so I knew him a little bit before I got here," Hargrave said. "But honestly he's a freak from a football standpoint -- just big, strong and fast. And you can just see he's got a little hunger about him this year. He's out there working to improve his game every day."
Better things to worry about?
There's been talk this week about whether or not the 49ers have thought much about their current Super Bowl window considering the fact they'll have a number of key players up for sizeable contract renewals down the line and likely won't be able to keep them all. In the case of Trent Williams, who is signed through 2026 but isn't getting any younger at age 35, it's a question of how many more opportunities he'll get.
But Williams isn't sweating the issue at all, based on the answer he gave when asked about it Thursday.
"Worrying about when the window closes really does nothing for us right now," Williams said. "It's like worrying about when you're going to die, right? It's going to close eventually, but what's the point of looking forward to it, right?"
The Super Bowl is certainly on Williams' mind right now, as it is for every 49ers player, considering it's the ultimate goal of this year's team. But he plans on taking things one day at a time and letting everything else take care of itself.
"Just work how I did yesterday and just look forward to getting one percent better every day," Williams said. "And eventually, you want to hold up that trophy. And if it does happen, you reset, recalibrate, and approach it the next year with the same mindset."
Wilks, Williams and Hargrave on Purdy's return
As is the case with all the players and coaches on the 49ers, Wilks, Williams and Hargrave were excited to see Brock Purdy return to the field Thursday, although each one of them viewed Purdy's return through a different lens. For Wilks, it was his first practice with Purdy since being hired as the defensive coordinator in February.
"I think it's great energy across the board. We know what he can do," Wilks said. "We know what he was able to establish last year. So guys feed off him. Just my perspective, I've seen all those guys progress and get better. Trey's (Lance) done a tremendous job back in the spring as well, but Purdy does bring a level of excitement."
Williams got the chance to play with Purdy last season and saw what kind of player and person he was. So it came as no surprise to him that Purdy got back to the practice field quicker than expected.
"We're all happy to see him back, happy to know that the surgery was successful," Williams said. "He's 100 percent. More so than the teammate he's a family member of us, so his health is always first. But yeah, everybody's excited, whatever we can get anybody back injury.
"I wasn't surprised. I talked to him a little bit over the break, so kind of knew everything was looking pretty good."
How did Purdy look to Williams?
"Seems like Brock," Williams said. "Brock is rock solid mentally, doesn't get flushed very easily. So he took the whole process like a champ. Nobody could tell if he was going through anything. We couldn't tell. I couldn't tell personally."
As for Hargrave, he was part of the Philadelphia Eagles team that eliminated Purdy and the 49ers from the playoffs last season. This was his first time seeing Purdy as an on-field teammate.
"It was cool (seeing him back)," Hargrave said. "It's a different feel now with these being my teammates, so I can't really hit him. It's a little different nowadays."
Mentoring the young guys
For the younger players on the 49ers' offensive line, there's no better mentor than Williams, who at age 35 is recognized as the league's top offensive tackle. Williams gave his thoughts on a couple of those players Thursday after spending time with them over the offseason.
One player Williams spoke about was guard Spencer Burford, who saw time as a rookie starter in 2022 after being selected in Round 4 of the NFL Draft out of Texas-San Antonio. Burford split time at right guard with veteran Daniel Brunskill in 2022, but the position could be all his this season now that Brunskill is with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent addition.
Williams expects a big leap from Burford this season now that he has a year of experience in Kyle Shanahan's offense.
"When you're in this offense, it's very intricate, a lot of details," said Williams, who is in his second stint with Shanahan after playing under him earlier in his career when Shanahan was an offensive coordinator in Washington. "The scheme is very hard to grasp for new players, and it takes time. It took me three to four years from my rookie year. I didn't catch on until about my third or fourth year. I thought I knew it, then I come here and I had to catch on again. So to me, obviously, his physical traits (are) going to get bigger and stronger every year. But the mental part -- him knowing what to do, so then you can worry about what's in front of you."
Williams also talked about a lesser-known 49ers lineman in offensive tackle Leroy Watson. Also from UT-San Antonio, Watson was actually a college tight end before joining the NFL as an undrafted free agent signing of the Falcons in 2022. Watson spent time developing on the 49ers' practice squad last year and has been able to catch Williams' attention since then.
"We've kind of got the same physical makeup," Williams said. "He's an athletic guy, former tight end, has a quick feet. So I do spend a lot of time talking to him about a lot of things."
Watson faces a battle to make the Week 1 roster, but he's still an intriguing prospect to keep an eye on as he continues to make the transition from tight end.
"His ceiling is extremely high," Williams said. "He made a switch not about a year ago, so he's still new to the position, but he's an intelligent player. Like I said, he has all the attributes. He actually put a little weight on this summer, so he'll be a little bit more sturdy. Kind of had a slight frame last year, obviously coming over from tight end, but I think he's used all his time to his advantage."
Not getting in the middle of it
The 49ers have made no secret over the past few months of the fact they feel the injury to Purdy robbed them of a Super Bowl spot and have made it abundantly clear they're eagerly anticipating getting another shot at the Eagles this season. The Eagles have undoubtedly heard what the 49ers have said on the matter, which means fans can expect a spirited showdown when the two teams face off in Philadelphia on December 3.
One player who has stayed out of the talking is the former Eagle Hargrave, who will be on the opposite sideline in December. While a number of 49ers players have been outspoken about the game since January and probably will be again in the future, Hargrave can be expected to stay quiet.
"Yeah, I don't really talk about it because I'm over here now, so I can't really talk about what happened last year," Hargrave said Thursday. "So I don't even say nothing about that game."
Hargrave does have his eye on the Super Bowl, however, after the Eagles fell short in the big game to the Kansas City Chiefs. He's happy to be in a position to possibly get another chance down the line.
"I think that's what everybody really talks about around here, trying to get to the big game and win it," Hargrave said. "So I just come in and just being there last year and losing that, I just want the same thing that they want. Just come out here every day with that same approach."