49ers training camp: Smoke causes practice delay, eyes shift to the defensive line
The 49ers pushed practice up just over an hour on Friday morning due to the surrounding air quality resulting from the fires throughout the Bay Area.
The smoke didn’t have a dramatic impact on practice or cut it short, but running back Tevin Coleman checked out of practice early as a precaution. Coleman has sickle cell trait, which can cause symptoms when oxygen levels in the air are low.
The team has said it would not practice if the air quality index reached over 200. It ranged from the 140s to 150s during Friday’s session.
On the field, many eyes on Friday shifted to the interior of the defensive line that might not have standout nose tackle D.J. Jones because of a shoulder injury that caused him to leave practice Thursday. The team said Jones’ status is unclear as he was going to have more tests on the shoulder Friday afternoon.
Friday was a strong day for reserve defensive lineman Kentavius Street, the fourth-round draft pick in 2018 who appeared in just three games last season before going on injured reserve to have knee surgery. Street was drafted as a defensive end, but appears to have bulked up significantly for a role on the inside.
Street has been explosive. It appeared he would be the top candidate to take the snaps left by Sheldon Day’s departure to the Indianapolis Colts, but he could be in line for more snaps if Jones’ absence runs into the regular season. Solomon Thomas, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw and Kevin Givens could also play some nose. Undrafted rookie Darrion Daniels (Nebraska) has also shown promise in the role.
49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh after practice said the team has rethought the nose tackle position in recent seasons, which could make it easier to replace Jones, who looks like a classic nose tackle but still has the athleticism to dunk a basketball on a 10-foot hoop.
“It’s not necessarily like the nose everybody remembers of the Vince Wilforks,” Saleh said. “Not that he wasn’t an athletic individual, but he was a massive human being, where our guys are a little bit smaller. We value a lot of speed, get off and explosiveness over just gargantuan size.”
Saleh also said the defensive tackle spots are interchangeable, and players lining up on the inside are required to know both the “three technique” and “2i” alignments. DeForest Buckner and Armstead have played predominately three technique, while Jones, Day and others had been more linked to nose tackle.
“The way we teach our D-line, with the exception of a couple of guys, they’ve got to know all four spots,” Saleh said. “(Defensive line coach Kris) Kocurek says it’s like four quarters on the dollar. You throw them all out there and they’ve got to be able to play whatever position that they’re thrown out there to do.”
Because there are no preseason games, teams throughout the league have started cracking down on writers reporting where players are lining up and notes about the depth chart. That’s considered a competitive advantage issue. And since practice squads have grown to 16 players and allow up to six players with unlimited NFL experience, teams are scouring reports to glean information that would typically be evident during preseason games.
“(Reporters) are out of practice and everything, and then I don’t mind answering all those questions because everyone sees it in the preseason games anyways,” coach Kyle Shanahan said this week.
“Guys we’re repping, the order of how you rep guys and that’s what all other coaches are always trying to study. That’s why I’m usually pretty more open with that stuff because they’re going to find out in the game anyways, but this year is a little bit different when talking about who we’re playing at what position and where and why because there is no preseason. No one gets any tape.”
Which means unless a coach says it on the record, writers have been asked to avoid reporting how players are being used in practice in a way that could help another team. For example, the 49ers might not want it out there that a player they want to have on the practice squad is getting first-team reps, because another team could sign that player before he’s awarded to the practice squad.
Which means information on the depth chart will be scarce until Sept. 13. Suffice to say, all the names mentioned above are possibilities to replace Jones, should he need replacing.
Otherwise, it was another spirited session in pads that included third- and fourth-down work in full-team drills — and a big day from tight end George Kittle, who had the play of the day with a long reception from Jimmy Garoppolo up the right sideline with safety Jaquiski Tartt in coverage.
It was a mostly strong day from Garoppolo and the offense. Save for Garoppolo rolling left and overthrowing Kendrick Bourne, airmailing the pass right to Richard Sherman, who weaved some 30 yards for a touchdown. It was Sherman’s first interception of camp during sessions open to reporters — and Garoppolo’s first giveaway in 11-on-11s.
New safety Johnathan Cyprian, in just his second practice, also recorded an interception of backup quarterback Nick Mullens. There appeared to be a mixup on the play with a receiver running the wrong route, cutting outside while the throw was more towards the seam.
In one-on-one drills, it was a good day for the 49ers’ talented defensive line and a forgettable one for the offensive line, save for left tackle Trent Williams, who continues to impress. Williams, after not playing last season, is in good form and might be San Francisco’s best overall player on offense, though pass rusher Nick Bosa did win a rep with a nifty inside move.
Dee Ford had a good day on the opposite side against right tackle Mike McGlinchey and appears to be miles ahead of where he was this time last year when his knee was bothering him to the point of sitting out most of practice. Ford’s offseason knee surgery appears to have helped, which could be big for the 49ers’ pass rush that had Ford on the field for just 22 percent of the defensive snaps last season.
49ers notes
▪ Armstead returned to practice in full on Friday for the first time since camp began. He missed the first block of practices due to back stiffness and only did individual drills Thursday.
▪ Receiver Deebo Samuel was seen in cleats doing sprints and another conditioning work while rehabbing his broken left foot. The 49ers have said they’re preparing for Samuel to miss time early in the season, but Samuel running in cleats is a promising sign for the receiving corps that lost Jalen Hurd for the season this week.
▪ Center Ben Garland (ankle), nickel corner K’Waun Williams (calf) and tight end Jordan Reed (conditioning) were withheld from practice, in addition to Coleman.
