The San Francisco 49ers are eager to get back to the Super Bowl, although it remains to be seen how many veterans are eager for OTA practices, which begin this week.
Last year’s initial session, for example, was missing several veterans such as Nick Bosa and Trent Williams, and quarterback Brock Purdy was still rehabbing from his shoulder injury.
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Purdy will be on hand this week, although linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles), safety Talanoa Hufanga (ACL), cornerback Charvarius Ward (core muscle) and tight end George Kittle (core muscle) are unlikely to practice.
The first practice open to the media will be Tuesday. What will we be tracking as the 49ers retake the field? Here are 10 things to watch at OTAs …
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Will Brandon Aiyuk make an appearance in May?
Brandon Aiyuk probably won’t be on the premises for the voluntary sessions, and he certainly won’t be taking part in them as the 49ers and his representatives continue to discuss a contract extension. When Deebo Samuel was in a similar situation two years ago, he skipped OTAs but was present — running on a side field — for the mandatory minicamp in June.
It’s hard to see the 49ers’ top three receivers — Aiyuk, Samuel and Jauan Jennings — being very active in the early OTA sessions. Jennings, for example, still hasn’t signed his restricted free-agent tender, though that might be done should he report for the offseason program Monday. Light work by the team’s big three receivers ought to provide opportunities for youngsters like Danny Gray, Ronnie Bell, Tay Martin, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing and Terique Owens.
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Will Brock Purdy’s offseason work be evident?
When OTAs began last year, Purdy hadn’t even attempted to throw a football. He was still recovering from March 10 elbow surgery, and his availability for the start of the season — and certainly the start of training camp — was very much in doubt.
This year is different. Purdy recently threw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants-Los Angeles Dodgers game. It was high and tight, but there was plenty of heat on his fastball. That might be a theme for Purdy this offseason. Whereas last year was all about rehabilitation, this year he’s concentrated on getting stronger and improving mobility in his shoulder and hips. It will be interesting to see whether that work, plus being 14 months removed from his elbow procedure, results in more zip on his passes.
Brock Purdy throws out the first pitch … and Kyle Harrison almost catches it 😂 pic.twitter.com/qLLk6fgtWN
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 15, 2024
How the first-rounder stacks up against veteran corners
We won’t firmly know how rookie receiver Pearsall’s game will translate to the NFL until training camp and actual games, simply because pads and contact will be needed to gauge his ability to beat press-man coverage at this level. But OTAs will mark a next step for Pearsall, who had no trouble separating in contact-free work at rookie minicamp. Impressive pre-draft testing suggested the rookie has the athleticism to separate against better defenders in the NFL. But this level of football will also put Pearsall’s size to the test.
Ricky Pearsall is a WR prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.78 https://t.co/wx75bRlzRq pic.twitter.com/AIE0FmEwwO
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 3, 2024
Pearsall should face a diverse collection of talent at practice over the next few weeks. Consider how deep the 49ers are at cornerback this year: Among Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Isaac Yiadom, Rock Ya-Sin, Renardo Green, Ambry Thomas and Darrell Luter Jr., there’ll be intriguing one-on-one battles for Pearsall at practice.
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What will Deebo Samuel look like?
Last year, Samuel spent the pre-training camp break sending Kyle Shanahan shirtless photos of himself to emphasize how hard he was working out. It seems like there might be more pics coming this summer. Samuel has been posting all sorts of training sequences — in the boxing ring, on a stationary bike, sprinting — in recent weeks and appears to already be in fighting trim.
That’s excellent news for the 49ers, who haven’t always been pleased with the wideout’s weight. That the 49ers used their top draft pick on a receiver, Pearsall, was interpreted by many as a signal they might part ways with Samuel next year. And they might hope Samuel takes it that way, too. He was highly motivated in 2021, the year before his contract was extended. The 49ers would love to see the 2021 version of Samuel in the upcoming season.
Rookie offensive linemen’s early roles
The 49ers added four rookie offensive linemen, all of whom delivered notably quick 20-yard short shuttle times during the pre-draft process. The team’s approach to adding big men seemed more rooted in analytics than ever. It’s time to find out whether this pronounced focus on quickness will allow rookies to make immediate noise up front.
No, don’t expect Dominick Puni, Jarrett Kingston, Drake Nugent or Briason Mays to line up with the first-team offensive line. But pay attention to how the 49ers set up the second- and third-team units. We’ll watch how confidently the rookies go through the motions of OTAs. That’ll set the table for training camp. Can Puni or Kingston push for a starting guard spot by the end of this season? Will Nugent or Mays show enough at center to open up a battle at that position in 2025?
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Dominick Puni, Jarrett Kingston and the 49ers' O-line focus on the short shuttle
The George Kittle complement
Shanahan has searched years for a true Robin to Kittle’s Batman. The 49ers came closest to striking gold in 2020 when they added former Pro Bowler Jordan Reed. But he was unable to stay healthy. One of the team’s subsequent attempts, Charlie Woerner, was a good blocker for them but caught only 11 passes over four seasons before signing with the Atlanta Falcons in March.
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The 49ers pumped fresh blood into the group this offseason. Ross Dwelley’s run of six consecutive one-year contracts with the team ended (he also signed with Atlanta). After an unsuccessful attempt to pry restricted free agent Brock Wright from the Detroit Lions, the 49ers added veteran Eric Saubert and signed undrafted 6-6 rookie Mason Pline, who played college basketball for three years before taking up football. Cameron Latu and Brayden Willis, both drafted in 2023, will have to compete with these newcomers for the No. 2 tight end spot. It’s time to see whether Latu has overcome his drop issues and whether Pline, who played at Ferris State, can look the part against veteran NFL competition.
Addressing interior D-line concerns
The 49ers have leaked oil at defensive tackle the past two seasons. In 2022, they managed only four combined sacks from the position. They largely fixed their pass-rushing problems there in 2023, largely thanks to the signing of Javon Hargrave, but took a big step back in run defense. OTAs will give us a first look at a significantly overhauled line. The 49ers first chose to infuse new veteran talent in the room, trading with the Houston Texans for Maliek Collins to replace Arik Armstead and signing Jordan Elliott to replace Javon Kinlaw. They also added defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who should have the ability to slide inside on passing downs.
All of the new veterans should immediately factor into the 49ers’ D-line rotation, but they still appear to be lacking a proven, stout run stuffer in the mold of D.J. Jones, who signed with the Denver Broncos after the 2021 season. That’s where youngsters Kalia Davis and 326-pounder Evan Anderson, whom the 49ers added in undrafted free agency, can earn their stripes. Can either of these players help the defense assuage perhaps its biggest concern?
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What’s the pecking order at linebacker?
Greenlaw will likely be unavailable to begin the season as he recovers from his Achilles tear. Veteran signee De’Vondre Campbell, who’s familiar with the 49ers’ defensive system from playing under coach Dan Quinn in Atlanta, will be Greenlaw’s immediate replacement. But a group of youngsters will be jostling for position behind the 30-year-old. That includes Dee Winters and Jalen Graham, both of whom received compliments from new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen last week. Seventh-round pick Tatum Bethune will also enter the mix, and rookie safety Malik Mustapha — who’s built like a mini-linebacker and might therefore eat up some snaps at this position — also can’t be ignored.
The pad-free environment of OTAs will offer a good gauge of how these linebackers perform in coverage, which is critical to their chances of earning playing time.
Who’s lining up at nickel cornerback?
The 49ers have someone earmarked for every starting spot on the roster … except nickel cornerback. They can always lean on Lenoir to play that role like he did for most of the 2023 season. But there’s a sense they’d rather allow Lenoir to remain on the outside and have a dedicated nickel back.
Earlier this month, Sorensen revealed that Samuel Womack III and Kemon Hall have been working at nickel early on this offseason and that he plans to have second-round pick Green play a lot of nickel this offseason, too. The team also could tackle the nickel issue by having one of the veteran newcomers, Yiadom or Ya-Sin, enter as an outside cornerback when they’re in nickel defense, which would allow Lenoir to move inside. The pecking order at cornerback will be interesting to watch this offseason.
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Who’s No. 2, Brandon Allen or Joshua Dobbs?
No, it won’t be nearly as intriguing as the Trey Lance-Sam Darnold backup battle from a year ago. Neither Joshua Dobbs nor Brandon Allen is a top-three draft pick, after all. Dobbs was a fourth-round selection in 2017 and Allen was a sixth-rounder in 2016. Both bounced around the league — a lot — before winding up in San Francisco.
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Dobbs is the more intriguing of the two given how well he played after finally getting a chance to start last season. Allen, however, is more well-versed in the offense. Just as it was a year ago, it will be interesting to see how Shanahan divvies up the quarterback snaps this offseason.
(Top photo: Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)