49ers rookie digging in as likely season-opening starter after veteran’s surgery

SANTA CLARA — One of the 49ers’ preseason mysteries appears solved, in terms of who will be named the starter at right guard. The name?

“Dom. Dominick. Puni. Pun-Dawg. Rookie. Everything,” rookie Dominick Puni said Tuesday about his nickname to teammates.

Puni has taken all first-team reps at right guard since Day 3 of training camp, once Jon Feliciano (knee) and Spencer Burford (finger) created a vacancy there. And Tuesday’s non-padded practice was reserved only for first-stringers, including Puni, in full-team drills.

Feliciano, who finished last season as the starter at that spot, recently underwent knee surgery and likely will start this season on Injured Reserve, with the potential for a midseason return, coach Kyle Shanahan announced.

Other issues do exist on the offensive line: Left guard Aaron Banks remains out after undergoing pinky surgery last week, and left tackle Trent Williams has yet to report.

Feliciano practiced only a few days in training camp. He re-signed on a one-year deal in March, indicating that this could be the 10th and final season of his career. Burford, who started the first seven games last season, wore a cast on his right hand as he rejoined offensive drills, but he has remained out of full-team work.

Their absences have made Puni’s case stronger.

A left tackle last season at Kansas, Puni said it took him only a week to feel comfortable switching to guard with the 49ers. He said his 6-foot-5, 313-pound frame affords him versatility where he’s not too tall to play center and not too short to play tackle, if needed.

On Sept. 9, the 49ers will need him to play right guard against the New York Jets in a Monday Night Football opener.

“It’s definitely in the back of my head but we still have to go play Vegas on Friday, so I’m just taking it day by day,” Puni said. “That’s how I’ve done things my whole life, especially with football.”

Among Puni’s admirers is linebacker Fred Warner, who was mic’d up for a team video series at a recent practice and told Nick Bosa: “Hey, you know who can move kind of good is the rookie, 77, Puni. He can move good, bro.” Puni heard that “crazy compliment,” adding: “That’s something I’ll look back on whenever I’m done with football, and the fact he’s probably a Hall of Famer, what he’s saying about me is pretty cool.”

Puni added that Warner is constantly encouraging him in the locker room, too, while defensive tackles are also helping with the rookie learning curve.

“This D-line group gives you everything, from bull (rush) to speed to power to finesse,” said Puni, who singled out Maliek Collins for exposing him to “everything in the bag.”

AIYUK CONTRACT STATUS

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, along with Williams, remains ensnarled in a contract stalemate. “Zero updates. Nothing has changed,” Shanahan said.

Aiyuk and the 49ers met Monday to continue hashing out a long-term extension, and while there’s been progress, “minor details that still need to be ironed out with ownership approval,” according to veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.

Aiyuk was not seen at Tuesday’s practice after watching last week’s session from afar down the sideline.

MORE INJURY UPDATES

Neither safety Talanoa Hufanga nor wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will return to practice this week, as Shanahan ruled both out for Friday’s preseason finale at Las Vegas. Both watched Tuesday’s session.

Hufanga was cleared last week to advance his comeback from last season’s anterior cruciate ligament surgery. He is currently on the Physically Unable To Perform list, and Shanahan said “it’s still up for discussion” whether to keep him on that list for the first four games of the regular season.

GUERENDO RETURNS

Rookie running back Isaac Guerendo returned to practice in full force, his first action since a hamstring injury on the first day of camp. Fellow running back Patrick Taylor Jr. (foot) also resumed practicing while Christian McCaffrey (calf), Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) and Jordan Mason (hip) worked on the side.

McCAFFREY WATCH

McCaffrey continues to show no issues three weeks after a calf strain, and Shanahan explained how McCaffrey’s work ethic will have him ready for Week 1.

“When he is probably walking down the aisle to get married (last month), he’s probably thinking about his feet and how to do routes, no offense to Olivia (Culpo),” Shanahan said. “But he’s obsessed with it. And so when you do get in these situations where you do get hurt and you can’t go do all that stuff, at least he’s put the work in before. So that stuff does come back fast.

“But he understands what it takes to play in this game, especially at the level he does. And not many people play at that level unless they are like that.”

PLAYCALLING DUTY

Shanahan will remain the 49ers’ playcaller when the regular season commences, even though he has allowed pass-game specialist Klay Kubiak to dial up the calls through two preseason games and possibly Friday’s finale.

This is the first time in 16 seasons Shanahan has ceded play-calling duties to any extent, and he has done so in part to enhance Kubiak’s career. Shanahan said he has hesitated to give up preseason play calls in the past because he didn’t want to disrespect players and make them think he didn’t take the preseason seriously.

Shanahan has never yielded play-calling duties to a quarterback, and he won’t start doing so Friday night with Brock Purdy. Shanahan’s rationale is that quarterbacks have way too much to diagnose and on their plates to insert play-calling chores.

“No, I would hate to do that to somebody. If he really wanted to and stuff, I maybe would let him so he could learn how miserable it is,” Shanahan said. “I couldn’t imagine having to think of all that stuff, get people in the right spots, spit the play, think of a play, spit it out, get to the line of scrimmage and actually think of how to play football.”

Purdy contributed to Tuesday’s play of the day, completing a long pass to Robbie Chosen.