placeholder image

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports


May 25 OTA News Roundup: Jimmie Ward continues to start at CB, other notes

May 25, 2016 at 1:56 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers kicked off their second week of organized team activities (OTAs) yesterday. Today was the first day that the media had access to observe the team.

There is no live contact permitted during OTAs. 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills with helmets are permitted, but cannot exceed six hours per day with a maximum of two hours on the field for any one player.

The following are some interesting observations from team beat writers.

Ryan Sakamoto of Ninerfans.com reported that WR Devon Cajuste, who left the practice field last week with a right leg injury, did not start off today's practice with the rest of the team. Instead, he was on the side getting loose on a bike. Cajuste was one of the first undrafted free agents signed by San Francisco.

OLB Ahmad Brooks was also on the side as he recovers from a minor injury, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

Sakamoto also notes that OLB Aaron Lynch is looking "better and better" and posted the following video.


During his first press conference with the media today, new 49ers defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil identified DB Jimmie Ward as one of the defense's top 11 players. Ward had spent a lot of time working at the starting cornerback position during last week's practices and O'Neil stated that would continue this week. He started at right cornerback today during the 49ers' practice, per Eric Branch of San Francisco Chronicle. "He's a guy I know we have to get on the field," said O'Neil while discussing Ward.


Chris Biderman of Niners Wire stated that Ward never moved inside to the nickel position and that Chris Davis played in the slot for most of the session. Last week, Ward would move inside when the 49ers moved to their nickel defense. That was not the case today.

Tank Carradine continues to get time at the outside linebacker position. Sakamoto seemed impressed with how he looked during practice. O'Neil stated today that Carradine, a second round selection by the 49ers in 2013, would pull double duty in the team meeting rooms, spending time with both the linebackers and defensive lineman. He will be working as an edge rusher on passing downs and at outside linebacker the rest of the time.


WR Eric Rogers, who Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area identified yesterday as a receiver to keep an eye on, continues to impress in practice.

Another good day of practice for #49ers WR Eric Rogers. This is him in individual drills before practice.

A video posted by Matt Maiocco (@maioccocsn) on


The 49ers fast pace continues to be apparent throughout practice.


Rookie QB Jeff Driskel spent a good amount of time working with the punt return unit today, per Biderman. No, he was not retuning punts, just working with the team.

DE DeForest Buckner, another rookie, reportedly looked good at practice, per Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group, despite working with the third string team.


Joe Fann of 49ers.com pointed out what he thought were the offensive and defensive highlights of today's practice session.



The 49ers also hosted two special fans at practice today, per Fann.


The media had a chance to meet with some of the players following practice. Apparently, there was a small skirmish at practice today, according to Inman, and CB Rashard Robinson had to be restrained. Robinson said it was a "heat of moment" thing and "it's cool." The skirmish was between Robinson and WR Jerome Simpson, but Biderman described the incident as "minor."


Robinson also stated that his weight is at 185 lbs now, up from 171 in February. His goal is 190, per Barrows.

O'Neil spoke of the three-man race between Ray-Ray Armstrong, Michael Wilhoite, and Gerald Hodges for the inside linebacker spot next to NaVorro Bowman. Hodges and Armstrong spoke to the media about the competition.





LISTEN

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

49ers injury news: Deebo Samuel avoids serious injury, other updates from Kyle Shanahan

By David Bonilla
Sep 22

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan jumped on a conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon, the day after the team's 30-12 win over the New York Giants. Shanahan provided several injury updates. Linebackers Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Dre Greenlaw emerged from Thursday night's game with low-ankle sprains. Both are day-to-day. The good news is that players have some extra time off before returning to work on Monday, when the 49ers begin preparing for the Arizona Cardinals. The only other player who was banged up in the Week 3 contest is wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The 49ers initially feared a rib injury, but


placeholder image

Why Alex Smith continues to be impressed by 49ers QB Brock Purdy

By David Bonilla
Sep 21

The San Francisco 49ers have been impressive through their first two games of the season. Quarterback Brock Purdy continues to win. His regular-season win streak could extend to eight games on Thursday night, with the Niners hosting the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium. One former player who remains impressed by the 49ers' second-year quarterback is Alex Smith. Smith addressed those who question whether Purdy, the last overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is for real and if the young quarterback can "take this team the distance." "He doesn't look like Josh Allen or Justin Herbert, the guys that we want to label these premier quarterbacks in the NFL, but he's built, and it's a perfect place to be because he's an amazing facilitator of this offense," Smith said on


placeholder image

Kyle Shanahan: 49ers still have "got to improve" despite 3-0 start

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 23

The San Francisco 49ers improved to 3-0 on the season after a 30-12 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football—dominating from the jump and never letting up a two-possession lead after a 17-6 advantage going into halftime. However, that dominating performance doesn't mean that the 49ers played at their peak, at least according to Kyle Shanahan, who was pleased with his team's play on a tough Thursday night, but still pointed out a couple of improvements to look at going forward. "Yeah, definitely, [I still think we have some work to do]," Shanahan said. "We did real good, time of possession, I think we had like 40 minutes. I thought our defense played real well. I thought they stepped it up. They started doing that in the second half last


placeholder image

49ers' Kyle Shanahan, Fred Warner praise Deion Sanders for start at Colorado

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 20

The San Francisco 49ers have been a frontline story in the NFL two weeks in, starting off the season 2-0, showcasing their top units on both sides of the ball. But, they're not the only ones showing out, and the NFL isn't the only football league in the spotlight right now. Instead, you could argue that the most popular football team in the country isn't even in the NFL... That moniker goes to the University of Colorado Buffaloes and new head coach Deion Sanders, who have flourished early in Year 1 of the new regime, finding themselves within the AP Top 25 for the third consecutive week. Despite the difference in league, the 49ers are definitely paying attention to what Sanders is building at Colorado, so much so that the entire team was


Featured

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone