49ers Training Camp Practice 15: Quick Hits

The San Francisco 49ers were back on the practice field Friday for their 15th training camp practice, with several players returning to action while a couple of new injuries were added to the list. Rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir are both dealing with shoulder injuries and are considered day-to-day, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Also not practicing were CB Renardo Green (hamstring), OL Austen Pleasants (knee) and LB Nick Martin (hamstring).

On the positive side, RB Jordan James returned after dealing with a rib injury, while RG Dominick Puni and DT C.J. West were back after suffering concussions. WR Mike Evans was also back on the field.

RB Christian McCaffrey and Edge Nick Bosa remained absent from practice. The 49ers continue to insist there's nothing to worry about with those two.

James' return immediately gave the running back competition some juice. The rookie showed some of the explosiveness that made him an intriguing addition to the 49ers' backfield. "Jordan James with some nice cuts and explosion in first day back," The Athletic's Vic Tafur wrote. "Too late to spark up backup RB competition with [Kaelon] Black?"

Here are some more quick hits from Saturday's practice:

Purdy, Tonges connect on big plays

The offense and defense went back and forth for much of Saturday's practice. Nick Wagoner of ESPN had QB Brock Purdy completing 9-of-15 passes with two touchdowns. One of those scores came on a deep pass to TE Jake Tonges, who had a good practice against the defense. "Tonges made a pair of catches for big gains from Purdy on consecutive plays," Wagoner wrote.

The defense responded during the final move-the-ball period, applying pressure to Purdy and forcing three consecutive incompletions to end the offense's day. There was, however, a missed opportunity for the defense when S Ji'Ayir Brown had an interception slip through his hands and land in the hands of WR Jordan Watkins.

Deebo stays busy

WR Deebo Samuel had a little bit of everything Saturday. Wagoner noted that Samuel caught a touchdown pass from QB Adrian Martinez, picked up multiple touches in the running game and made an impressive over-the-shoulder catch on a deep pass from QB Mac Jones. The 49ers have continued to find ways to get Samuel involved, and Saturday was another example of his versatility.

Defense makes some plays

In addition to the defensive plays already mentioned, there were some others:

• West made his return count, breaking through for what would have been a sack of Jones.
• LB Larry Worth also had a nice run stop on Samuel.
• CB Eli Apple came away with an interception of a Jones pass intended for Evans.

It was another day where neither side completely dominated, which is probably what Head Coach Kyle Shanahan wants to see this late in camp.

Morris pleased with defensive response

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was asked about the defense's performance in Thursday night's preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. "It was a great bounce-back performance for those guys—to be able to fit and be able to hit and play with our style and our standard," Morris said. "We didn't have a great [joint] practice, so to watch those guys really respond to the meeting, to the preparation, and to all the things we had to do to get out there and play, was nice. Watching those guys play fast and physical, I really enjoyed it."

Morris also had some praise for rookie edge rusher Romello Height, who has continued to flash during camp. "Romello picked it up a little more this game," Morris added. "He's been showing flashes at practice and doing a lot of great things at practice. He showed a little bit of flash in his first game, and he showed a little bit more this game. He's still got more left out there, so there's more meat on the bone. He's got some stuff out there that we really love…I'm really fired up where he's going."

Height has quietly been one of the younger defensive players worth watching as the preseason continues. He hasn't flashed, and his first two preseason games weren't what the fanbase expected, but Morris seems to believe the rookie is making progress.

Dinkins returns

The 49ers also brought back undrafted rookie TE Khalil Dinkins. Maiocco reported that Dinkins is back with the team, although San Francisco has not announced the corresponding roster move needed to make room for him.

The 49ers will return to the practice field Sunday for another workout.