49ers training camp: 5 areas to watch for defending NFC champs
For only the third time in 49ers history, they enter training camp in the wake of a Super Bowl loss, and they do so with pertinent questions.
SANTA CLARA – Let’s say the 49ers go on another Super Bowl run, maybe even win a Lombardi Trophy for the first time in 30 years.
Everything about the coming season will be cherished. Legendary chapters will be added to franchise lore. And, after a mostly benign offseason, training camp will be recalled as the starting point on the 49ers’ road to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
The 49ers have the best betting odds of preventing the Kansas City Chiefs from the NFL’s first Super Bowl three-peat.
Only two other training camps in 49ers history came in the wake of a Super Bowl loss.
The first was in 2013, when they had a third-year quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, on the precipice of a contract extension. They also had a star player, Michael Crabtree, recovering from an Achilles tear. Modern-day association: Brock Purdy is entering Year 3, and Dre Greenlaw is recovering from Achilles repair.
When the 2020 49ers showed for training camp, COVID protocols and a lack of preseason games were harbingers to an injury-plagued 6-10 season. That team was coming off a Super Bowl collapse to the Kansas City Chiefs. Modern-day association: a Super Bowl hangover again exists thanks to the Chiefs, while another presidential race is afoot between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Onward now as the 49ers host camp at their Santa Clara headquarters for a 22nd straight summer. Here are five areas that will draw the most scrutiny:
1. COMEBACK ALERT
Several starters will practice for the first time since the Super Bowl. Among those coming back from injuries: linebacker Greenlaw (Achilles), safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee), tight end George Kittle (groin), cornerback Charvarius Ward (groin), tight end Cameron Latu (knee), center Jake Brendel (knee), defensive end Drake Jackson (knee), and wide receiver Jacob Cowing (leg). All could be medically cleared for the start of camp and eased into action, with Greenlaw the most likely to start on the Physically Unable To Perform list.
2. AIYUK OR ANYONE SIGNING?
After an offseason of waiting and peacocking for an extension, Brandon Aiyuk crosses into the critical juncture for contract talks. Will he be coming, practicing, signing, or working on the side in modern-day “hold-in” fashion to avoid the $50,000 daily fine for unexcused absences?
All other 49ers reported for last month’s mandatory minicamp. Among others who are on expiring contracts and still seeking an extension: Hufanga, Greenlaw, Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Ambry Thomas, Aaron Banks, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason and Jaylon Moore.
3. RIGHT GUARD BATTLE
No offensive starting job seems more open than that of right guard. It should be at least a three-man competition. Jon Feliciano seized that role last season and re-signed for his 10th and perhaps final NFL season. Spencer Burford was a 2022 rookie starter and seeks to rebound from his Super Bowl blocking gaffe. Dominick Puni is a fourth-round draft pick with five-position versatility and strength.
4. TIGHT END SURPRISE
George Kittle looks on track to return from core-muscle surgery (as does Ward), but who else will comprise the tight end unit now that Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley are on the Atlanta Falcons? The 49ers could go the veteran route with thirtysomethings in Logan Thomas (94 games, 219 catches) and Eric Saubert (84 games, 36 catches). None of the 49ers’ other tight ends have an NFL reception but they do have promise: Latu, Brayden Willis, Jake Tonges and Mason Pline. The last of that group is a 6-foot-6 undrafted rookie who took part in Kittle’s Tight End University seminar in Nashville.
5. NEXT MEN UP
The 49ers’ highly productive offensive unit returns intact, so the most heated competitions involve the second string. Aside from the aforementioned battles at guard and tight end, who’ll be the top backup at quarterback (Josh Dobbs vs. Brandon Allen), at running back (Elijah Mitchell vs. Jordan Mason vs. Isaac Guerendo), at No. 3 receiver (Ricky Pearsall vs. Jauan Jennings), and, at swing tackle (Jaylon Moore vs. Brandon Parker vs. Chris Hubbard)?