Garoppolo, defensive line shine for 49ers on opening day of training camp
There was plenty of energy on the practice field Saturday as the 49ers held their first session of training camp. Jimmy Garoppolo was back under center working full-team drills, while the new-look defense made some splashes early on.
Here are some of the key developments observed from the sidelines:
Saturday’s standouts
San Francisco’s talented defensive line made a statement early on during team drills to begin practice. DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas both knifed through the offensive line (there were no pads, which come on Monday) and had tackles for loss on running plays. They helped collapse the pocket around Garoppolo early, causing incompletions on his first two attempts.
Thomas looked particularly spry and activated. He cut weight and got stronger, and seems motivated to have a big year after struggling on and off the field last season. Thomas’ best work was as a pass rusher inside, but look for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to continue moving the former No. 3 pick all over the line. Thomas bouncing back from his one-sack second season would be a very welcomed development and could take the already talented defensive line to another level.
Buckner’s dominance was expected coming off his breakout 12-sack campaign. Some of his early success Saturday came against the right side of the offensive line, where the 49ers are rotating at right guard between Mike Person and Joshua Garnett. The interior is somewhat in flux with center Weston Richburg on the physically unable to perform list following offseason knee/quad surgery, which forced Person, last year’s starting right guard, to get time at center with newcomer Ben Garland.
Rookie fifth-round pick Dre Greenlaw appears to be making the most of his first-team practice reps at linebacker. He’s been working as the “Sam,” where he’s competing with veteran Malcolm Smith, who struggled in coverage in the early going. Greenlaw had at least two tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage on run plays and has the speed to cover ground in coverage.
Greenlaw is benefiting from the team’s slow approach with Kwon Alexander as he works his way back from last October’s ACL tear. Alexander, who left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and signed a four-year, $54 million contract in the spring, participated in roughly half the first-team reps early in practice and worked on his conditioning during the second half. Greenlaw, Smith and Elijah Lee all rotated throughout to make up for Alexander’s absence.
Garoppolo watch
Garoppolo was near perfect in individual drills throwing on air. His passes were timed well and accurate. He’s sharp despite not playing in a game since September.
His first two reps in full-team drills were rough. As mentioned, they both fell incomplete, with the first being high and wide to Dante Pettis. The second appeared to be a busted play due to pressure from the defensive line that forced Garoppolo to throw it away.
Garoppolo completed his next six attempts, unofficially finishing the day 6 for 8 during full-team drills. His best play came on a long crossing route to new wideout Jordan Matthews, who skidded past defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon and went for a big gain. He also threaded the needle between traffic on a third-down conversion to Pettis.
Garoppolo didn’t appear encumbered by the bulky brace on his left knee, nor did he appear skittish in the pocket. Overall, it looked like a good day for the franchise quarterback.
Key moments
Rookie receiver Deebo Samuel showed off his skills after the catch by hauling in pass over the middle from Nick Mullens, who worked with the second string, and took it for what would have been a long touchdown up the left sideline. It was Samuel’s most explosive play during practice in sessions open to reporters. The second-round pick spent the day getting most of his reps with the second team after missing time during OTAs last month with a minor hip injury.
The 49ers have made getting takeaways on defense a priority after setting an NFL record for fewest in a season with just seven. So the loudest moment on the field came when defensive back Tyree Robinson stripped undrafted rookie tight end Tyree Mayfield and recovered the fumble along the far sideline, where his defensive teammates went nuts in celebration.
Bosa impresses
Nick Bosa’s debut left a positive impression. Saleh and veteran offensive tackle Joe Staley spoke about the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft after practice.
“Bosa wins in close quarters. He wants you close to him, as close as possible. And then he just the ability to flip his hips, get skinny, all in close quarters while most people need space so they can knock arms down and create angle for themselves,” Saleh said. “But the closer – which boxer was it, Mike Tyson? – the closer you got, the more trouble you’re in. Because he just loved to be in there tight. It’s the same thing. He just love to get in there tight and he can work his body, hands, has that hand-eye coordination. All that’s pretty good.
“On the flip side, though, he’s going to have to figure out how to win in space as a rookie. I guess he got Joe a couple times today, but Joe’s a seasoned vet. He’s going to find out very quickly how O-linemen adjust in this league tomorrow when Joe stalemates him. So, I know it’s exciting for (Bosa), but he’s still just a bobblehead running around until we get pads on.”
Staley after practice said he was very impressed with Bosa, noting the rookie beat him three times during full-team drills. Bosa in the draft worked primarily with the second team and also with the starters on third-down plays. He showed no lingering effects from his hamstring injury that sidelined him in May and got off to a good start in his first practice.
The key, as Saleh noted, is being able to do it multiple days because Staley is going to make adjustments to Bosa’s moves, and Bosa will have more surface area to block once the shoulder pads are put on.
This story was originally published July 27, 2019 at 2:19 PM.
