SANTA CLARA — Behind the wall of 49ers players in pads, it was hard to tell how it all started. But we had our first brouhaha of training camp during Monday’s session on the practice fields, as they put on the pads for the first time.
Early in the 11-on-11 portion of practice, when cameras weren’t allowed to film, the scuffle broke out and spilled over from one practice field to another, as multiple mini fights took place in succession. They’re on the same squad, but the white-shirted defense and red-shirted offense were sparring. It looked like Brandon Aiyuk was in the middle of it at one point, while fellow wide receiver Willie Snead IV also had his helmet off and looked heated by the end of it.
From that point on, the intensity of practice rose. You could hear the thudding as defensive players like Deommodore Lenoir and George Odum laid down their shoulders for hits on the next drive. Later in the practice, defensive end Arik Armstead told linebacker Dre Greenlaw to settle down after he stuck running back Elijah Mitchell with a solid thump. Receiver Jauan Jennings also got into it with safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson, as they exchanged shoves and words.
“We all need each other,” Armstead said. “It’s that fine line of bringing that intensity, but not hurting one another. We have pads on, we’re all grown men. We can handle it. But we all need each other to win. All our families are relying on each other.”
Monday marked the team’s fifth practice, so intrasquad tensions were bound to boil over. Coach Kyle Shanahan called a team huddle after the scuffle to address the team for a minute.
“First day of pads, things get a little dicey,” Armstead said.
Brock Purdy returned after two off days and resumed his role as QB1, while Sam Darnold and Trey Lance split second-team reps and Brandon Allen directed the third team.
A fired-up Greenlaw picked off Purdy for the defense’s highlight of the extended team portion of practice, but the 49ers quarterbacks were able to find more room to operate. Purdy connected with Christian McCaffrey down the left seam for a deep touchdown after the running back beat Fred Warner in single coverage.
Lance had arguably his sharpest day of camp so far, but also showed some happy feet when Kerry Hyder Jr. brought pressure from his blindside on one occasion. Earlier in the day, general manager John Lynch told reporters that Lance’s mechanics have improved this offseason after working with Jeff Christensen, an independent quarterback coach who has also helped Patrick Mahomes.
“I think in the past maybe Trey was working with multiple people,” Lynch said. That's like trying to work with multiple golf coaches. Signals can get mixed and I think he decided, ‘all right, I’ve got to find one that I vibe with the best and roll with that.’ And I think they did some great work and I think he's throwing the football a lot better, his base better, some of his mechanics are better. Those things are showing up on the field. So, I'm not just proud of him for his attitude and his leadership, his resiliency. I'm proud for what I'm seeing out there.”
Lynch said the 49ers are yet to receive any trade inquiries about their quartet of quarterbacks. Given the emergency third QB roster spot, it’s conceivable that three could be on the gameday roster and a fourth could be saved with a practice roster spot.
“I think four on a 53 (-man roster) would be very challenging,” Lynch said. “Four in the building is certainly possible. And it's one of those things, I think we just want to throw it all out there, let things unfold, and then we'll figure out the details as we go.”
The one-on-one portion of practice also featured some high-profile matchups, as tight end George Kittle bested safety Hufanga twice in a row, while Warner shut down McCaffrey in the flat. Later, McCaffrey showed off his speed when burning rookie Dee Winters down the right sideline on a wheel route.
It’s still too early to make any conclusions, but it felt like real football Monday after the pad-free start to camp. As Kittle told reporters last week, we’re about to find out who really enjoys the grind of camp.
