Takeaways from Day 2 of 49ers training camp
The 49ers’ defense ruled the day Thursday in the team’s second training camp practice. It’s still early in the ramp up for the regular season so sweeping declarations are frowned upon. On the other hand, it’s fascinating to see the ebbs and flows of a camp, how different players perform, and how position battles play out.
Here’s what we took away from the goings on at the SAP Performance Center on Thursday:
Trey-als and Tribulations
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The quarterbacks as a whole struggled in Thursday’s practice, but Trey Lance had a particularly tough outing against the 49ers’ top defense. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco charted him at 7-for-15 with an interception. It’s worth noting though that multiple throws were broken up and not necessarily a result of bad accuracy. Lance’s accuracy was a question mark coming into camp, but it hasn’t been an issue through the first couple of practices. The young QB also found a silver lining in bouncing back from an INT.
Charvarius Ward shining
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Ward’s name came up a lot from reporters at camp. There are no official stats, but ESPN’s Nick Wagoner noted that Ward hadn’t allowed a completion through the first couple days and came up with a big PBU on a deep shot from Lance to WR Jauan Jennings. San Francisco had perhaps the best defense in the league in 2019 when they paired their pass rush with a good secondary. Ward has a chance to lift the 49ers’ defensive backfield to new heights, and he’s off to a great start.
The OL shuffle
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Trent Williams has been out the first two days of camp dealing with a family matter. Colton McKivitz has been getting first-team reps, which bodes well for his chances to hang onto the swing tackle role. Second-year OL Jaylon Moore has also gotten some run at tackle with Mike McGlinchey still working his way back from a quad injury that ended his 2021 season.
On the interior is where things are particularly interesting. Daniel Brunskill is rotating in at center with Jake Brendel while rookie Spencer Burford mans the right guard spot. It’s hard to draw a ton of conclusions this early, but if the 49ers believe Burford gives them an upgrade at RG, it allows them to pour all of Brunskill’s reps in at center where a battle for that very important position can play out. Perhaps it changes once the pads come on, but this is a fascinating area to watch as camp continues.
Arik Armstead absent
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Armstead wasn’t participating Thursday and defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans didn’t offer any insight into where the defensive tackle was. He deferred to head coach Kyle Shanahan, who will talk Friday morning before practice.
Nick Bosa, still good
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It’s unfair to judge the trenches when pads still haven’t come on, but Bosa is flying around and came up with pressures on a handful of plays. There aren’t sacks during team drills, so Lance just plays through when a defensive lineman gets close enough for a would-be takedown. Bosa is still all over the place though which is a good early sign for San Francisco.
Deebo watch
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Samuel’s hold-in continued Thursday. He was doing conditioning work on a side field again. DK Metcalf’s contract could spur Samuel’s deal to get done. However, until he has a contract, he’ll likely only work off to the side away from his teammates.
