Several veteran players were held out of Thursday's practice. Quarterback Brock Purdy participated, while others—including wide receiver Mike Evans, running back Christian McCaffrey, linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, and offensive tackle Trent Williams—did not take part.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that OTAs are voluntary, adding that Evans was absent for personal reasons but is expected to return next week.
As expected, several players recovering from injuries also remained sidelined, including defensive linemen Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, and Keion White, as well as tight end George Kittle.
Shanahan made clear the primary objectives for OTAs and the upcoming mandatory minicamp.
"To not get anyone hurt, and find any way to get better with everything we do," Shanahan said. "There's a lot of things at this time of year that I always feel, in order to get better at football, the true way, you've got to practice football full speed. And we're working through a lot of that stuff right now, where you learn how to do that.
"There are certain things with rules and things with safety that we can't fully go by, so our whole goal is to get as much out of this as we can while still protecting everyone."
Shanahan said he has been encouraged by the first two practices of the week.
"We're just trying to get the guys out there, get them introduced to the offense and stuff," Shanahan said. "And got through two healthy days, which is the biggest goal, and I thought we were better today than yesterday."
OTAs run through June 4, and the 49ers' two-day mandatory minicamp begins on June 9. This marks the final stretch of on-field work before the team breaks until training camp in late July.
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