On Friday, the San Francisco 49ers held their eighth training camp practice. The team will return to the practice field on Saturday before enjoying a day off on Sunday.
Below are some Friday afternoon notes and quotes out of Santa Clara.
Purdy progressing
The biggest offseason storyline has been quarterback Brock Purdy, who is coming off surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury sustained during the NFC Championship Game. Purdy was cleared from the start of training camp and has been on the field with his teammates for most practices.
"Yeah, feels good," Purdy said of his arm. "Second day in a row throwing and everything, just like I've been doing, really, the past month. Arm feels good, feels like I can continue to keep going. Like you said before, we have a plan of, 'Hey, we're throwing, two days on, one day off.' So just sticking to that and going from there. But, arm feels really good."
"Feels good. Second day in a row throwing just like I've been doing the past month. Arm feels good, feels like I can continue to keep going. We have a plan of 2 days on, 1 day off so we're sticking to that but arm feels really good."
So far so good for Brock Purdy at camp. 👍 pic.twitter.com/Uc2pauOlya
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) August 4, 2023
Purdy will sit down with 49ers decision-makers after this week to discuss his progress and determine if the recovering quarterback will soon be ready for a full workload.
Is the second-year player thinking about that first big in-game hit?
"I feel normal when I'm out there, so I feel like I've just got to get into a rhythm, and play, and go through progressions, and just play quarterback," Purdy said. "It's not really, 'Hey, I have to get tackled here just so I feel good about my arm.' There's nothing like that that goes through my mind.
"So I just play football, I go through my reads, and I feel normal. It's not like I'm out there timid or scared about a certain hit or anything like that. So, honestly, I feel good."
Purdy is just taking it one day at a time, trusting the plan, and doing what he can to improve on the practice field. After such an impressive rookie season, it's easy to forget that the quarterback has started only eight career NFL games. There is a lot of room for improvement.
"There's some things that I obviously have to learn from and get better, and some things that I can continue to build off of and have confidence in," Purdy shared. "For myself, I feel like I could be better in some areas, just playing faster in the game and stuff, get into a better rhythm, and sort of just get in and out of the huddle better in the operation."
Ankle not on Lance's mind
Purdy isn't the only 49ers quarterback coming off an injury. Trey Lance entered last season as the team's starter but went down with a season-ending ankle injury during Week 2.
That is all behind him now.
"Super thankful and super blessed to be healthy," Lance said. "I'm feeling 100 percent. I don't really feel my ankle or think about it out there at practice at all."
Lance is fighting for the QB2 job this offseason. That's a big difference from last year when he was the undisputed starter. The third-year quarterback isn't letting that impact how he attacks this training camp, though.
"For me, nothing's changed," Lance said. "The last three years, I feel like I've attacked it the same way. I feel like I'm in a much better spot, myself personally, this year than I have been in the past two years. But mindset-wise, mentally, for me, I feel like if I'm not putting that same pressure on myself in practice, then the game's a lot harder."
Aiyuk continues to impress
Brandon Aiyuk may end up being the training camp MVP. OK, there is no such thing. But if there was, the fourth-year wide receiver would be the frontrunner for the award.
According to most reports, Aiyuk is consistently one of the best players on the practice field. Coming off his first 1,000-yard season, the 25-year-old wideout could be poised for a breakout 2023 campaign.
"He's just crisp. He's very consistent in his route running," quarterback Sam Darnold told reporters. "So, yeah, I think that's huge. And then, obviously, we know what he does with the ball once he gets it after the catch. Brandon, he's continuing to play at a high level throughout camp, and that consistency is going to be huge throughout the season."
Darnold isn't the only quarterback impressed with the receiver.
"I think Brandon's done a great job going through reads, and you can just see the veteran in him," Purdy said. "I feel like he's been in situations a lot, throughout his career, and you can tell when he's out there, he knows where to go with the ball, and he's very smart, and he's confident."
Taco making plays
The 49ers signed former first-round pick Taco Charlton this week. The 28-year-old edge rusher is making a fantastic early impression on his defensive coordinator.
"Taco came off the plane, and he's just making play after play after play the other day," Steve Wilks revealed. "And I was very impressed with that because, number one, we needed the reps. But he got in and made it seem like he had been here for a week.
"So he's still learning the defense. It still is going to take him some time. But when he's in there, he goes full speed, which I love. And most importantly, he's just continuing trying to work on just the fundamentals that we talk about at that position."
Who starts opposite Bosa?
Second-year player Drake Jackson and newcomer Clelin Ferrell are among those competing for the starting defensive end spot opposite Nick Bosa, who continues to hold out amid contract negotiations.
Wilks spoke of the defensive-line battle, and how the situation might remain murky until the 49ers face some competition.
"This competition is tight," Wilks admitted. "And I would say this, really for the whole group, and I mentioned this with the staff last night. We're really not going to see a separation or a change until we go against someone else. So I'm excited about here in a week ... that we go up to Vegas and play the Raiders. So we'll see exactly where we are at that point, and hopefully, guys can separate themselves."
Not bad, rook
D'Shawn Jamison is looking like an excellent undrafted free agent addition. The cornerback has looked impressive on the practice field. The 49ers defensive coordinator was asked about the first-year player's progress since joining the team.
"Very impressed. Very impressed," Wilks responded. "And I think some of the receivers were talking about him the other day. He has definitely made strides from the spring and just came back and built on to his repertoire and just his toolbox. I think the one thing that he's doing with his technique, he's staying more square in his backpedal, which is allowing him to be able to see and visualize more of the field, route concepts, see the quarterback.
"And he's doing a great job of breaking on the ball, his man-to-man technique. He's great at the line of scrimmage, and he's doing a good job at the top end of the route—the point of emphasis that I talk about all the time. That's where we got to win. So you see him doing a lot of good things."