Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Friday, November 3rd, 2023
Deebo Samuel on return from shoulder injury: ‘I am ready to go’
“By all accounts (aka his own) he’s on track to continue on that timeline. The team will have a bonus practice coming out of the bye week, but they won’t be putting out an official practice participation report until the Wednesday before the game. At that point we’ll have a better indicator of exactly how well Samuel has progressed in his return.”
Deebo reveals Purdy’s locker room message to 49ers after Bengals loss
“So before we broke the huddle in the locker room, he was like, ‘Yo guys, this was on me. I got to be better.’ So that’s one thing that we like about Brock is that he takes full responsibility of his actions. And he knows what he’s capable of, and he wants to play the best of his ability every week.”
49ers mailbag: Chase Young trade benefits three — Young, Nick Bosa, Steve Wilks (paywall)
“But at the very least it’s clear the blitz calls in Minnesota didn’t sit well with the players.
The defensive linemen, including Bosa, have said it’s not their usual style. And on that much-scrutinized blitz at the end of the half, Talanoa Hufanga didn’t fully commit to the blitz, which allowed Kirk Cousins to get off the fateful pass. Whether that hesitance was due to confusion or poor execution or wavering buy-in is unknown. But it sure underscores it’s something the team isn’t accustomed to doing.”
Branch: 49ers mailbag: Steve Wilks, Isaiah Oliver, Jimmy G. in tough spots (paywall)
“Womack is an unlikely candidate to challenge Oliver for snaps in the slot. Last season, as a rookie, he opened as the 49ers’ starting nickel, but he was benched after two games and then moved to outside corner in the offseason. This summer, amid the slot uncertainty in camp, Womack wasn’t given snaps inside.
As far as Luter, a rookie fifth-round pick, he hasn’t been activated since he suffered a bone bruise from hyperextending his knee in an offseason practice in June. That could be a historically stubborn bone bruise. But it’s more likely evidence that the 49ers are giving Luter a redshirt season.”
49ers midseason evaluation: Where Chase Young can boost languishing defense (paywall)
“That’s where Young comes in. His PFF run defense grades in 2020 and 2021 ranked No. 5 and No. 3 among edge rushers. Young tore his ACL in 2021 and hasn’t quite delivered the same numbers on run defense since, but his pass-rushing prowess is fully back, and the 49ers believe the rest of Young’s game will soon follow suit.
“We think Chase is a complete player,” Lynch said.
Think of the 264-pound Young as a connecting piece for a 49ers defense that had previously added 242-pound edge rusher Randy Gregory, who’s decent against the run but who specializes against the pass. The 49ers will count on Young to deliver in both phases and, by extension, put the defensive line in position to fix its most glaring weaknesses.”
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