49ers takeaways: Jimmy G looks good now? Sanu is rebounding? Sermon earns handoffs?
Things have been noticeably up beat for the 49ers during their first three practices of training camp this week. It’s clear the team is rejuvenated after its miserable 2020 campaign littered with injuries and the late-season stay in Arizona due to the pandemic.
We’ve been on the sideline for all three sessions, and we’ll start with the most obvious observation in this list of the ten most notable.
1. Garoppolo and Lance make good early impressions
The story throughout the next month before Week 1, and perhaps the entire season, will be about the quarterbacks, and neither have disappointed in the early going.
Jimmy Garoppolo looks rejuvenated, focused and confident after spending the entire offseason watching his team look at every avenue to replace him. It started with Deshaun Watson and then Matthew Stafford in February. When those trade options dried up the team invested three first-round picks to take Trey Lance.
Perhaps it’s lit a fire, or perhaps Garoppolo realizes he’s at a crucial point in his career. He has two years left on his contract and needs a big season to land another pay day with San Francisco or elsewhere (likely elsewhere).
“Jimmy G looks like a different quarterback out there,” cornerback Jason Verrett said. “His confidence just looks like he wants to lead — he knows what it takes. Obviously he brought the team to a Super Bowl (after 2019).”
Garoppolo’s first three days were highlighted by an off-schedule throw during the first practice Wednesday. He rolled to his left and lofted a well-placed pass over a defender to an out-stretched Brandon Aiyuk, who hauled it in for a big gain. Garoppolo isn’t known for making plays outside the pocket, so doing it after a season derailed by a bad high ankle sprain is notable.
Lance, meanwhile, has impressed his teammates with his work ethic. He’s been lauded by coach Kyle Shanahan and teammates for the amount of work he put in between OTAs and training camp, working out in Atlanta and Southern California, leading to a higher comfort level in the offense.
Lance hasn’t been perfect, but he’s made a couple highlight throws, including two bombs to Deebo Samuel for long touchdowns up the left sideline Wednesday and Friday. He worked through cadence and snap count issues on the opening day, clearing them up. He’s bounced back from questionable throws and isn’t shying away from being aggressive.
“You don’t have to get on him too much. When he doesn’t have a good throw, he knows it as much as anyone,” Shanahan said. “I just like that keeps firing it. Some are going to be good, some are going to be bad, but the more you get reps, the more you get your feet under you, the more you know where you’re going, the more consistent that will be.”
All that said, pads aren’t coming on until Tuesday, which will offer a far better gauge at where the quarterbacks are. For now, both are practicing well and Lance doesn’t look like a rookie caught in the headlights.
2. Nick Bosa, Jalen Hurd returning from injuries
It’s hard to envision the 49ers getting back to contention without a big season from Nick Bosa. He has the potential to be the team’s best player after being a couple plays away from getting serious consideration for Super Bowl MVP against the Chiefs.
Bosa sat out Friday’s practice as a planned day off, but all signs point to the third-year pro being available for the season opener Sept. 12 in Detroit, barring any setbacks. The same appears true for receiver Jalen Hurd, the 2019 third-round pick who missed his first two seasons due to back and knee injuries, respectively.
Neither players are participating in team drills, but both are moving well and appear healthy. The training staff has plans in place for both that will require patience on their parts. If both can contribute and play this season, they are the type of talents to change the team’s outlook.
Bosa’s value has already been proven during his two seasons. Hurd’s is still unknown. But given the relative dearth of established options outside of the team’s top two receivers, Aiyuk and Samuel, getting another versatile weapon on Shanahan’s offense could make things a little easier on everyone – and slowing the offense that much more difficult.
3. The rookie breakout (who isn’t a QB) might be a running back
Third-round pick Trey Sermon, the running back from Ohio State, is the only first-year player to get regular reps with the starters during practice. He’s split plays with Raheem Mostert during full-team drills and could have a big role in the running game, given Mostert’s recent ankle and knee injuries that have caused him to miss time.
To be sure, Mostert is healthy after missing part of OTAs with a knee issue, but he’s still practicing with a bulky brace on his right leg that he sheds for games, which seems to have a similar impact to a batter using a donut in the on-deck circle.
“When that brace comes off and you see me flying out there, going full tilt, like I never even had it on,” Mostert said. “I like that feeling and I’m just going to stick with it.”
Still, Mostert has never had more than 137 carries in a season and he missed eight games last year due to a bothersome high ankle sprain. Sermon was durable throughout his college career and his physical, between-the-tackles running style blends nicely with Mostert’s track star speed on the outside.
It wouldn’t at all be a surprise if Sermon ends up leading the 49ers in carries, and gets used when they play with the lead, while Mostert remains the most prominent big-play threat out of the backfield.
Other draftees, Lance, guard Aaron Banks, cornerback Ambry Thomas, offensive lineman Jaylon Moore, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, safety Talanoa Hufanga and running back Elijah Mitchell, have all worked predominately with the backups during the first week.
4. Sanu earning a spot with 49ers receivers?
It appeared receiver Mohamed Sanu’s career might be nearing its end as he’s bounced around four teams the last two seasons, including a brief stint with San Francisco early in 2020. That thought appears premature based on the way he’s looked early in training camp.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old had surgery in March to repair a high ankle sprain that slowed him dramatically while with New England in 2019. Sanu’s movement skills are back, and based on the first three practices he looks like the favorite to replace Kendrick Bourne as the No. 3 receiver.
Sanu has been one of the most targeted pass-catchers through camp, both by Garoppolo and Lance, and has reminded Shanahan of the version of Sanu he coached with the Falcons in 2016.
“I think he’s in such a better spot,” Shanahan said this week. “I think you ask our players and anybody who’s watched him here, it looks like the guy I remember, and not the guy that we had for that those week and a half (in 2020). So hopefully can keep it up and keep it going.”
With Sanu back in form, and the potential of Hurd getting back into the mix, the 49ers might feel better about their No. 3 receiver spot than anticipated.
5. Ebukam offers a jolt to 49ers defense
Samson Ebukam sounds like he feels he was miscast as an outside linebacker with the Rams.
“I came to the league to rush the passer,” he said Friday.
Indeed, the free-agent signee has a new role with his new team, working as pass rushing defensive end tasked with one job: get after the quarterback, rather than work in coverage as a linebacker like he did with L.A.
Ebukam said he’s already noticed his simplified role allowing him to play faster, which manifested itself on the field Friday when he had two “sacks” of Garoppolo from either side of the line, once beating Trent Williams and another time getting past Mike McGlinchey.
The 49ers are uncertain what to expect from Dee Ford, who is coming back from a back injury and hasn’t participated in full team drills as of yet. All indications are the team signed Ebukam because of Ford’s injury risk given he’s had significant back issues since college.
“Samson, he’s done a real good job,” Shanahan said. “He’s in shape, he’s explosive, he’s strong. We’re not surprised. We played against him twice a year for the last four years. But he’s been exactly what we’ve hoped for.”
6. COVID list a cause for concern in secondary
The 49ers have used Tim Harris Jr. and Tavon Wilson at cornerback and strong safety, respectively, during full-team drills over the first three days. That’s because cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and Jaquiski Tartt both spent the week on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
It’s unclear when those players will be allowed back inside the facility. But they are two expected starters with experience in a system that should be valuable for a defense with a first-year coordinator in DeMeco Ryans. Plus, the secondary isn’t exactly teeming with experienced depth.
Harris struggled in the first day of practice and was on the wrong end of many Garoppolo completions. His NFL career includes appearances in just two games in 2020 with all his snaps coming on special teams. The sixth-round pick in 2019 missed his entire rookie season with a groin injury after a college career that included two medical redshirt seasons at Virginia.
Wilson has played in 125 games since entering the league in 2012, but has started more than four games three times in his nine seasons. He’s predominately been a backup with the Patriots, Lions and Colts.
It’s worth noting some of the offense’s success early in camp has come while the secondary’s been missing half its starters.
7. Right guard impacting center
The 49ers have rotated two players at the starting right guard spot: veterans Daniel Brunskill and Tom Compton. On Thursday, when Compton got the work there with the starters, Brunskill served as the backup center with the second unit.
Banks, the second-round pick from Notre Dame, has worked primary with the second string at right guard and figures to be the long-term option at right guard with the starters. However, that time hasn’t come just yet.
When will Banks be part of the competition to start? “As soon as we think he’s better than the guys in front of him,” Shanahan said. “Just watching it live, he does some good things and he’s got a lot of rookie things too. I don’t think he’s focused right now in his first day of practice about getting a starting job. He needs to be focused on just doing as good as he can.”
8. Kinlaw waiting out knee issue
Last season’s first-round draft pick, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, took to his Instagram story this week and wrote “I have no injury” after Shanahan told reporters Kinlaw is coming back from a knee issue that’s preventing him from working in team drills.
Shanahan said Kinlaw’s knee swelled up while traveling during his time off, which required extra treatment and rehab following surgery to repair a minor issue with the knee after last season.
Kinlaw is still dressing for practice and participating in individual sessions, but the 49ers are treating him with the same care as others coming back from injury, like Bosa, Dee Ford and Hurd.
In Kinlaw’s absence, D.J. Jones, Zack Kerr and Kevin Givens have worked with the starters at defensive tackle.
9. A new linebacker?
Marcell Harris, who has spent the vast majority of his career at strong safety, is working exclusively with the linebackers at the start of training camp.
The team believes Harris’ work near the line of scrimmage and his speed make him a useful linebacker in coverage after getting exposed in downfield coverage over the last two seasons.
For now, it appears three linebackers have roster spots locked up: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Aziz Al-Shaair, with Harris, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Jonas Griffith, and undrafted rookies Justin Hilliard and Elijah Sullivan competing for the final one or two spots on the 53-man roster.
Harris could have a leg up because of his work on special teams and ability to play linebacker and safety.
10. 49ers nearing full vaccination, with a notable exception
The 49ers said at the start of training camp they had roughly 90 percent of their players vaccinated against COVID-19.
The only player who said he isn’t vaccinated is defensive end Nick Bosa, who said Thursday about the vaccine, “I’m just evaluating everything right now. I haven’t made a decision quite yet.”
Others, including Sanu, recently received their first shots and are awaiting their second shot before they’ll be fully vaccinated. Vaccinated players, should they test positive for COVID-19, will be allowed to return to the facility after two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. They also get tested every two weeks.
Unvaccinated players who test positive must be isolated for a minimum of 10 days.
