Training camp is a thing of the past. The 49ers have the day off on Wednesday before their joint practice against the Denver Broncos. It’s officially the preseason.
49ers rookie Upton Stout uses team’s former nickel back as teaching resource
“The thing that stood out the most was he reached out to K’Waun Williams on his own on social media,” Bullocks said. “And K’Waun got back to him and they connected. K’Waun sent him clips and all that, so that’s very exciting for a young guy. It says a lot about who he is as a player and a person.”Williams’ style of play — his coverage techniques and ability to trigger in the run game — is still viewed as the model of how to play nickel back in the 49ers’ scheme.
Stout connected again with Williams just prior to the start of training camp, Bullocks said.
49ers abruptly pull plug on kicker competition as injuries hit RB, D-line (paywall)
“Ricky Pearsall continues to look sharp. He caught three of the four passes that went his way Monday, including a deep ball from Mac Jones on which Pearsall got behind cornerback Tre Brown and safety Marques Sigle. The lone incompletion to Pearsall came when Brock Purdy’s out-route throw was broken up by Upton Stout, who’s been the best looking rookie in camp so far.”
49ers Q&A: Chris Foerster talks Ben Bartch, Connor Colby, swing tackle situation (paywall)
“Foerster is the most direct of all the 49ers coaches. He doesn’t equivocate. He doesn’t dole out only praise. He gives specific examples. He doesn’t speak like, well, a coach. It’s as if he’s been given a dose of truth serum.
He’s talked to reporters once a week during the regular season over the last three years because he was Shanahan’s top offensive assistant. Klay Kubiak’s recent promotion to offensive coordinator, however, means that he, not Foerster, will get that media gig in 2025.
Which is why we thought it was smart to park ourselves next to the 49ers’ offensive line coach Sunday when assistants were made available — a half-hour for Foerster and the offensive assistants and a half-hour for the defensive coaches.
Note: Some of Foerster’s answers have been abbreviated — he’s a world-class talker — and the Q&A questions have been tweaked and reordered to provide clarity and continuity.”
San Francisco Chronicle
49ers training camp: The top 10 takeaways from the first 10 practices (Paywall)
Winters for the win: That spirited competition between unproven third-year veteran Dee Winters and rookie third-round pick Nick Martin for Dre Greenlaw’s vacated linebacker spot? Yeah, not happening.
Winters has played exclusively with the first team and has carried over the momentum he built from OTA practices, when defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said he was “due for a heck of a season.” Linebackers coach Johnny Holland said Sunday that he expects Winters to serve as Fred Warner’s sidekick this year.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if at the end Dee played 90% of the snaps,” Holland said. “He’s going to be a really good player.”
As for Martin? He’s probably where Winters was in 2023 when he played 60 defensive snaps after he was selected in the sixth round.
“Nick is a young linebacker in this system,” Holland said. “And usually it does take a year or two to be comfortable with all the technique and fundamentals that go along with it. … Nick’s going to be all right.”
Why Your Team Sucks 2025: San Francisco 49ers
Because injuries are never just bad luck when Kyle Shanahan is your head coach, and the numbers bear it out. Bryan Knowles of FTN reported that since Shanahan took over in San Francisco, no team has averaged more Adjusted Games Lost than this one. This man rides his players harder than a jockey on cocaine. So perhaps that explains why LT Trent Williams was lost for the back half of 2024. Or why WR Brandon Aiyuk tore up his knee shortly after signing a new deal. Or why—again, via Knowles—San Francisco’s offensive core was only together for 57 total snaps all season long last season. Shit, for all I know Shanny was the guy who shot WR Ricky Pearsall before last season even started. All of the pieces fit.
When you think about the 49ers that way, suddenly they don’t seem like victims of circumstance, but of their own unending hubris. Sam Darnold launching a 97-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson in a asswhipping to Minnesota? That’s on you. A blown 21–7 halftime lead to the hated Rams? You did that, too. Your QB tossing three picks in Kansas City territory to blow a game to the Chiefs? Motherfucker, did a magic sprite guide those balls into defenders’ hands? That was earned suffering, the kind I wish upon Gavin Newsom on a near daily basis.
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