49ers training camp: Brock Purdy avoids injury; Observations from practice

The San Francisco 49ers held their sixth training camp practice on Tuesday, the second padded session of the summer.

Here are some key highlights from the 10:25 a.m. PT practice at the SAP Performance Facility, compiled from multiple media reports.

Noteworthy non-participants

• WR Jacob Cowing (hamstring)
• CB Renardo Green (hamstring)
• RB Jordan James (unspecified)
• WR Jauan Jennings (calf)
• CB Deommodore Lenoir (unspecified)
• WR Ricky Pearsall (rest)
• DE Mykel Williams (ankle)

DT Jordan Elliott returned after missing Monday's practice.

Unavailable players

Physically unable to perform (PUP)

• WR Brandon Aiyuk (ACL/MCL)
• OL Andre Dillard (ankle)
• DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
• S Malik Mustapha (ACL)
• LB Curtis Robinson (ACL)

Non-football injury (NFI)

• OL Ben Bartch (quad)
• QB Kurtis Rourke (ACL)

Injured reserve (IR)

• DE Tarron Jackson (neck)
• WR Trent Taylor (back)
• CB Tre Tomlinson (undisclosed)

Injury updates

DE Mykel Williams, the 49ers' first-round draft pick, missed practice with what the team described as a "minor ankle" injury.

Quick notes

Penalty flags were abundant, particularly holding calls that nullified several good plays—something for the coaching staff to clean up as camp progresses.

With WRs Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall sidelined, veteran Demarcus Robinson and rookie Jordan Watkins saw an expanded workload.

DE Nick Bosa faced RT Colton McKivitz in one-on-one drills, winning the first rep with a spin move. McKivitz responded with a win of his own, but Bosa came back to dominate the third matchup with a bull rush.

ESPN's Nick Wagoner noted, "Not sure the 49ers have anyone who can block him consistently right now. Bryce Huff isn't far behind, either. That combo could be what the Niners need to revitalize the pass rush ... if they can stop the run first."

DE Jaylon Allen, signed Tuesday morning, flashed quickness off the snap but also showed signs of being new to the scheme. He was beaten a couple of times during one-on-one drills.

DE Bryce Huff played one season with Allen at Memphis and shared his thoughts on the newcomer.

"He's an explosive player," Huff said. "He loves to work. He hit me up yesterday. He was like, 'What do I need to know? How can I prepare myself for camp today?' I told him, "Stay hydrated. Be ready to get off on your track. When the ball snaps on a pass, you've got to go hunt.

"And then today, he had a great day. I haven't seen him play in a minute because we've been on different teams and stuff, but that's the most explosive I've seen him since I've known him, so it was good to see, for sure."

Rookie DT CJ West got into a brief shoving match with OL Matt Hennessy. However, he again impressed in one-on-ones after a dominant performance on Monday.

C Jake Brendel shared his early impressions of West, saying, "He's a lot more of a fast-twitch guy. He has a lot of kind of side-to-side movement, side-to-side speed, and he's got a lot of dynamic strength in the pass rush. One-on-ones, you guys are out there, you see him. He's had a lot of success."

With CBs Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green out, Dallis Flowers and Darrell Luter started on the outside while rookie Upton Stout handled slot duties.

LB Luke Gifford intercepted QB Brock Purdy thanks to pressure from DE Sam Okuayinonu. Late in practice, CB Tre Avery recovered a fumble by RB Corey Kiner after a catch from QB Tanner Mordecai.

Scary moment for Brock Purdy

There was a brief scare when DT Jordan Elliott tumbled into the pocket and rolled into QB Brock Purdy's right ankle as RB Isaac Guerendo carried the ball to the left. Fortunately, Purdy avoided injury, quickly tested the ankle on the sideline, and returned to finish practice without issue.

C Jake Brendel spoke about the incident afterward.

"This is just kind of the things that come with our defensive scheme and our defensive techniques," Brendel explained. "They're very, very coiled as a defensive line, and right at the snap, they're gonna unleash as much strength and as much power as they can, vertically, trying to get that push.

"We had an outside play called that was never going to be touched by a guy in the 'A' gap, so I kind of let him (Elliott) do his thing, and he just kind of fell forward."

The collision appeared to be purely accidental. As a reminder, quarterbacks wear black jerseys in practice to signal defenders to avoid contact.

Quarterback play

Brock Purdy connected with rookie WR Jordan Watkins on a deep post for a 40-plus-yard touchdown. Watkins was going against CB Darrell Luter and S Jason Pinnock on the play.

"That's what 4.37-second speed looks like," commented Noah Furtado of the San Francisco Chronicle.