49ers training camp: Jones hurt, Williams in peak form, new signings take the field
Defensive tackle D.J. Jones gave Hroniss Grasu a stern welcoming to the 49ers on Thursday during Grasu’s first practice since the new center signed with San Francisco.
Jones, during a one-on-one passing rushing drill, pancaked Grasu with ease, which looked a lot like what he did to Seahawks center Joey Hunt during a Monday night game last November. It took less than a second for Grasu to end up on his backside while Jones’ fellow defensive linemen reacted to the bulldozing with hoots and hollers.
But then it appeared the promising fourth-year pro hit a snag. Minutes after his impressive takedown of Grasu, Jones during full-team drills was blocked by an offensive lineman and taken to the ground. It appeared Jones left shoulder took the brunt of the force as the blocker landed on him with all his body weight.
Jones was clearly in pain and left practice soon after. Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the shoulder injury afterwards and said Jones was undergoing further testing.
Jones, whom many have pegged to be a breakout candidate along the 49ers’ talented defensive line, has gotten off to a strong start to training camp after missing the playoffs and Super Bowl with a high ankle sprain. He seemed poised for a larger role on pass rushing downs with DeForest Buckner now a member of the Indianapolis Colts.
The 49ers are clearly hoping Jones doesn’t miss an extended period of time. If he did, the team doesn’t have many established options at nose tackle. Recent first-round draft pick Javon Kinlaw could slide over from his “three technique” defensive tackle position, or the 49ers could try Kevin Givens, Kentavius Street (who appears to have bulked up this offseason) or undrafted rookie Darrion Daniels, who has been a handful for offensive linemen to block. Jullian Taylor is unlikely to be back any time soon after tearing his ACL during practice late last season.
“It’s going to be a battle to see who ends up making this roster,” Shanahan said when asked about Daniels. “He’s done a good job so far, but there’s a lot of them out there.”
Back to Grasu, his signing with the team was made official Thursday just before the start of practice along with safety Johnathan Cyprien, receiver Jaron Brown and linebacker Evan Foster, an undrafted rookie free agent who played at Syracuse. To make room, receiver Jalen Hurd (torn ACL) went on injured reserve while defensive back DeMarkus Acy and linebacker Jonas Griffith were released.
▪ The 49ers added Grasu because the team is suddenly thin at center. Ben Garland, who had been getting the reps with the starters, is expected to be sidelined for a couple weeks after spraining his ankle Tuesday.
Garland, of course, replaced starter Weston Richburg when he tore his patellar tendon in the win over the Saints in December. General manager John Lynch on Thursday said on an Athletic podcast it’s likely Richburg begins the year on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he won’t play the first six weeks of the season, at least.
With Garland out, Swiss Army knife Daniel Brunskill has moved to center from right guard, where he was competing with Tom Compton for the starting job. Grasu, Ross Reynolds and Kofi Amichia have also worked at center.
Cyprien in the hunt at strong safety
Cyprien, Brown and Foster were all suited and participated in Thursday’s practice, though they were withheld from full-team drills.
Cyprien, 30, might have a good chance at making the 53-man roster. He’s started 71 of his 75 career games and could offer a potential upgrade over backup strong safety Marcell Harris, who was often picked on last season while starter Jaquiski Tartt was out with a rib injury. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is familiar with Cyprien because the two were both with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2014 to 2016.
Brown is yet another speedy receiver the team signed to provide depth and competition while Deebo Samuel continues to work back from injury and Hurd is lost for the season.
The team Aug. 15 signed Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson, who both have shots at making the initial roster because Richie James Jr. is a candidate to open the season on the non-football injury list, which would mean he couldn’t return until Week 7 at the earliest after breaking his wrist during the offseason.
New rules created because of the pandemic allow teams to carry up to 16 practice squad players, and six could have an unlimited amount of NFL experience. So that means Shanahan might consider keeping Nelson, Austin and/or Brown around in case the team continues to need depth at wideout.
“That definitely gives those guys an opportunity or us an opportunity to keep them around,” Shanahan said. “The label of a practice squad player for those guys might be a little bit different, but to me it’s just a label. All those guys we have brought in have a very good chance to make this team, but if not, hopefully we can keep six vets on this team that are practice squad guys that will eventually be playing sometime in the year.”
Nick Bosa vs. Trent Williams
The best matchup of training camp continues to be left tackle Trent Williams against star pass rusher Nick Bosa.
In one-on-one drills Thursday, Williams got the best of Bosa on at least three of their four reps (there’s some discussion among media members as to whether Bosa got around Williams quickly enough on the last rep to get credit for a win).
Williams, who is built like a house in a helmet, appears to have shaken any rust that might have lingered during the first block of practices before Wednesday’s off day. Thursday was his best session, which led to glowing reviews from Bosa.
“I obviously have never played him before so I don’t know exactly how he was before but it definitely seems like he’s feeling great and playing really well,” Bosa said. “I’m definitely confident in Jimmy’s left side. Not that the rest of the O-line isn’t great, but having Trent is going to be a huge, huge help for him.”
Williams was regarded as one of the best tackles in the NFL before missing last season while feuding with his former team in Washington. He seems poised for a big year now that he’s entering the final season of his contract with a chance to contend for a Super Bowl for the first time in his career.
Bosa is entering just his second season, but he said he’s never gone against a blocker like Williams and offered an in-depth scouting report.
“He’s honestly not as tall as I thought he was going to be, which kind of makes it more difficult, because he’s got a really low center of gravity and it’s tough to power him and get underneath him, which is something that I like to use to my advantage,” Bosa said. “And for him, he plays so low to the ground and he can bend so well that he’s never really up high and exposing himself to power. And on normal moves that I would usually be happy about and probably beat other offensive linemen with pretty cleanly, he’s right in your hip pocket when you’re making the burst to the quarterback. So just his ability to recover to and get back in front of you is elite.”
49ers notes
▪ Receiver Kendrick Bourne continued to put together a strong training camp with two more touchdown catches in red-zone drills from third-string quarterback C.J. Beathard.
Bourne was a target of Jimmy Garoppolo on another, but the pass was broken up by linebacker Fred Warner, who was all over the field Thursday. Warner doubled down by breaking up a potential touchdown pass to rookie Brandon Aiyuk the next play.
▪ Defensive lineman Arik Armstead returned to practice, though was limited in his work. He didn’t participate in full-team drills after missing the four practices with back stiffness.
Tight end Jordan Reed was spotted for the first time since the opening practice doing wind sprints on the side. Reed is being brought back into the mix slowly and hasn’t practiced since the first session of training camp Aug. 15.
Nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams was also doing light work on the side field while he works back from a calf strain that is expected to sideline him for a couple weeks.
▪ Fires throughout the Bay Area impacted the air quality significantly in certain spots, but Santa Clara was not impacted Thursday. The 49ers practiced under blue skies that had only a slight haze.
The air quality index at the start of the session was at 96. Shanahan said the AQI would have to be 200 for the team to cancel practice.
“Keeping our fingers crossed, hoping it doesn’t get there,” Shanahan said. “Today we were very fortunate. The wind was going the right way. So, I believe our number was below a hundred. We felt there was no issues today, but we’ll be monitoring it every day. I’m not going to have much of a choice.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 3:48 PM.
