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Day 7 of the San Francisco 49ers training camp is officially over, as it was a lighter practice following an off day Wednesday, as the team implemented a ton of play-action work, while several key players on either side of the ball rested.
The offense had a good day, as each of the quarterbacks played solid collectively, despite the absence of left tackle Trent Williams, left guard Aaron Banks, and running back Christian McCaffrey, amongst others.
After a strong week for the defensive line, where the 49ers' defense accumulated six and eight sacks over the last two practices, respectively, the unit was unable to wreak havoc on Thursday, which was surprising, given the 49ers did not have Trent Williams or Aaron Banks in action on the day.
Instead, the 49ers started Leroy Watson and a combination of Nick Zakelj and Jason Poe at left tackle and left guard, respectively, but the defensive line couldn't record a sack against the 49ers' offense on a day where each quarterback had a solid performance.
Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave both suited up, although there were extensive rotations on the day, with several players sitting out of practice.
Nonetheless, it was a disappointing day for the defensive line, who fielded no standouts after consistently placing at least one player on my list of top performances in each of the last few practices.
In formation news, the 49ers debuted an intriguing defensive look: a 5-2 front with three defensive tackles that they sprinkled in at times last season, with Javon Kinlaw joining the starting unit for that package.
Linebackers
While the defensive line unit disappointed, the competition at linebacker continued to brew, as linebacker Dee Winters was the standout of the day, intercepting an intermediate pass from quarterback Trey Lance, getting deep enough in the zone, and making the nice catch for the takeaway.
Additionally, Winters, alongside Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, covered Brayden Willis on a shot play in the redzone during the move-the-ball period well, forcing an overthrow from Sam Darnold in the back of the endzone.
Winters stacked consecutive days of flash plays, pushing his way forward in a competitive room, as he looks to fight for a 53-man roster spot alongside fellow rookie Jalen Graham, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Curtis Robinson, and Flannigan-Fowles.
McCrary-Ball continues to look the part, working with the first-team defense in sub packages alongside Fred Warner and Oren Burks, as Dre Greenlaw did not suit up Thursday following the off-day Wednesday.
The former undrafted free agent's closing speed is clear, as the safety-converted-linebacker possesses the quickness that the 49ers value, as well as the instincts and physicality to round out his game.
Womack has responded well, breaking up an underthrown deep ball from Brock Purdy intended for Deebo Samuel, while not allowing a single catch on the day. Thomas, on the other hand, continues to struggle in coverage, especially when working against the top wideouts on the team.
Ji'Ayir Brown has been a quiet name, primarily being relegated to the second-team defense, while fellow backup George Odum has seen most of the work in three-safety sets and when rotating with veteran Tashaun Gipson. However, Brown did have a solid day, it appeared, on Thursday, with his instincts kicking in on a few occasions in the run game.
He hasn't really been tested much in the air, leading to a lack of splash plays, and will likely continue to benefit from added reps, which should come in joint practices against the Las Vegas Raiders next week, but especially during the preseason.
Gipson was off on a scheduled veteran rest day, leaving Talanoa Hufanga as the top safety, while Myles Hartsfield and Tayler Hawkins continue to specifically work on the third-team defense.
The San Francisco 49ers strengthened their safety position this week by adding versatile defensive back Logan Ryan. The team was looking to bolster the backfield following injuries to Talanoa Hufanga and George Odum. Hufanga suffered a season-ending torn ACL, while Odum sustained a torn biceps.
Ryan, most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2022) and New York Giants (2020–21), played cornerback during his first seven seasons before transitioning to safety in 2020.
On Wednesday, Ryan revealed that he learned of the 49ers' interest while on a cruise in the Bahamas.
"Once I knew that the 49ers were interested, at that point, there wasn't any drinking on the cruise,
"We got too many weapons": 49ers defense very confident in offense
By David Bonilla
Dec 3
The San Francisco 49ers will undoubtedly rise to the top of most—if not all—power rankings this week after their 42-19 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. It will be hard to find anyone who doesn't view the Bay Area squad as the Super Bowl favorite after 13 weeks of NFL play.
San Francisco is proving to be a balanced team, equally impressive on offense and defense. Even 49ers defenders are in awe of the firepower on the offensive side of the football.
"I think the offense showed what we capable of when we're fully healthy," cornerback Charvarius Ward said in the locker room after the game.
Tough assignment: How Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense limited Jalen Hurts
By David Bonilla
Dec 5
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers defense adopted a different approach against the Philadelphia Eagles. It involved a typically aggressive-minded defensive line being ... well ... less aggressive.
The unit has had its problems when facing mobile quarterbacks, often struggling to bring down elusive signal-callers, resulting in surrendering some embarrassing numbers.
They wanted to avoid that while facing Jalen Hurts, an MVP candidate who has amassed an impressive 2,328 rushing yards and 38 rushing touchdowns in his four NFL seasons. This time, the strategy was containment. The primary objective was to prevent Hurts from exploiting the 49ers with his legs, even if it meant sacrificing potential sacks.
Passing up aggressively pursuing a quarterback can
49ers mailbag: Can SF beat Philly again? How much influence does Kyle Shanahan have over the defense? How did Ji'Ayir Brown look on Sunday?
By Marc Adams
Dec 6
It's mailbag time again. I know you're excited. I can tell by the look in your eyes.
As always, thank you so much for submitting your questions. You are the reason the 49ers Webzone Mailbag is a fun read. So thank you for bringing your questions each week. Alright, let's jump right in to see what's on your mind.
Were there any changes made between the first two failed offensive drives and the rest? It seemed to be a major turnaround. - Frank W.
I'm sure they made some adjustments. The play-calling seemed to change a little. For example, in the first two drives, the 49ers ran one run play and five pass plays. Christian McCaffrey didn't touch the ball on either possession.
On the third drive, McCaffrey ran the ball on the first play
