49ers notes: Thomas operates with clarity, Alexander’s return and a bond on the O-line
The 49ers’ defensive line will have to be good if the team wants to get back to the postseason.
The line features four recent first-round draft picks and the team’s most highly-paid defensive player, Dee Ford, who was acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs and signed an $84 million contract in March.
So it wasn’t entirely surprising to see the defensive line come out of the gates quickly when San Francisco held its first pad-less training camp practice Saturday. The first few moments of team drills were highlight by a fired-up Solomon Thomas beating his blocker to stuff a Matt Breida run behind the line of scrimmage.
New defensive line coach Kris Kocurek heaped praise on Thomas in the form of a signature scream that wasn’t for the faint of heart. Kocurek has become known for his volume as the team’s most animated coach, which is in stark contrast to his quiet predecessor, Jeff Zgonina, who held the post the last two seasons while Thomas struggled.
Saturday’s practice illustrated that the defensive line is San Francisco’s most talented position group. Thomas, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2017, will likely be a rotational player, while DeForest Buckner, Ford and 2019 No. 2 pick Nick Bosa will be the mainstays in pivotal pass-rushing situations.
That means Thomas will have to compete for playing time with fellow first-round pick Arik Armstead, who, like Thomas, is being used as a defensive end in base downs while kicking inside to bother quarterbacks from defensive tackle in sub packages.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said afterward he anticipates all of his top defensive linemen to work at different positions throughout training camp. It’s a step towards being difficult to plan against given all the players’ varying skill sets.
Buckner is an explosive mover who wins with athleticism despite a lanky 6-foot-8 frame. Thomas is more compact and wins with quickness when he’s playing well. Armstead is stout for a tall player, particularly in the running game. Bosa excels with hand placement and technique. Ford most often wins with pure speed.
“It just keeps you guessing, because I think the more and more that you play against somebody, the advantage goes a little bit more to the offense,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “And I think that them being able to rotate, having different positions and being as versatile as almost every guy on our line is, it’s going to be huge for us. It’s going to keep offensive lines across the league guessing, especially when (opponents) don’t have four straight weeks of playing against them in training camp, you only have one week to prepare.”
For Thomas, he seems eager to retake control of his life and football career following his sister’s suicide last year. His efforts have been noticed throughout the organization as he’s championed the importance addressing mental health issues, which could allow him to regain the promise that made him an early draft pick.
“The clarity at which he’s playing is going to be what’s evident to everybody,” Saleh said. “The decisiveness is what’s going to be clear to everybody. When he can eliminate gray area from his life, he’ll be able to showcase all that athleticism that he had coming out of college. Right now, we don’t have pads on, so all of it’s good, but being able to transfer that onto pads and continue in the direction he’s going is going to be the next step for him. Right now, he is playing with a clear mind.”
Alexander easing in
The 49ers’ new training staff, led by head of player health and performance Ben Peterson, has created a training camp schedule for every player on the roster designed to optimize their bodies in time for the new season.
For linebacker Kwon Alexander, the schedule Saturday included working in roughly half the first-team drills during 11-on-11 sessions, then taking the second half of practice to hone his conditioning. It’s likely he gets time off in the coming days to allow his surgically repaired knee to recover.
Alexander suffered his ACL tear last October, roughly a month after Jimmy Garoppolo tore his in Week 3. Garoppolo is back to being fully cleared, while Alexander is still in the final stages of his rehab and appears poised for a return Week 1 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his former team.
“He’s looked great,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. “He’s been here in the offseason working out and rehabbing, but anyone coming off an injury like that especially at his position and as late as it was ... we’ll definitely ease him in.”
That’s promising news considering Alexander sustained the injury roughly 10 months ago. It used to be that players would need to be a full year removed from the injury before returning to action – and the 49ers had largely been nondescript when talking about Alexander’s time table since he signed his four-year, $54 million contract in March.
McGlinchey happy Staley stuck around
Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey clicked almost as soon as San Francisco picked McGlinchey with the No. 9 pick in 2018 to bookend the offensive line at right tackle. They’ve become fast friends despite a decade age gap, and Staley, 34, has indicated that having McGlinchey, 24, as a friend and protégé has made coming to work fun as he wades into the new season.
McGlinchey on Saturday spoke about Staley’s contract extension he signed last month, putting him under contract with San Francisco through 2021.
“It’s huge, for not just myself, but the entire organization,” McGlinchey said. “He’s the heart and soul of our football team. And he has been since I was probably in sixth grade. So it’s awesome. For me, personally, one, he’s a great mentor and a guy to learn from, and he’s been around the block a lot in this game.
“But you know, he’s one of my closest friends as well. So it’s good to see somebody like him get rewarded for what he’s done here. And it’s just a special thing for our football team and to have 74 locked down for a couple more years.”
Staley, a six-time Pro Bowler, could get roughly $39 million over the next three seasons on his new contract.
This story was originally published July 27, 2019 at 3:29 PM.
