The Good and Not So Good from 49ers Camp: Mac Jones Out at Least a Week

Practiced for the first time since he pulled his hamstring on Day 4 of camp, and immediately broke up Brock Purdy's first pass attempt of practice -- a pass that was intended for Jacob Cowing near the sideline. Green might be the best outside cornerback on the team, and that's not a knock on Deommodore Lenoir, the other outside cornerback. It's just as Lenoir is better in the slot -- that's where he feels most confident. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers move Lenoir back to the slot at some point this season.

2. Cornerback Jakob Robinson

Finally got to play with the first-string defense for the first time this offseason. Replaced Lenoir at left cornerback when Lenoir wasn't on the field. Purdy targeted him twice when he was covering Ricky Pearsall and completed neither pass. On both plays, Robinson pinned Pearsall against the sideline deep down the field and gave him no space to make the catch. After practice, Lenoir said that Robinson will be elite one day. I agree.

3. Running back Isaac Guerendo

Returned to practice after missing the past two weeks, and promptly caught a 25-yard pass up the right sideline from Purdy. Guerendo isn't a classic running back -- he's a gadget player who can run the ball and catch passes, similar to Deebo Samuel. Speaking of Samuel, he looks fresh and slim on the Commanders this season. I wonder if he will play harder for Commanders head coach Dan Quinn than he did for Kyle Shanahan last year. That would be a bad look for the 49ers. But hey, at least they have Guerendo.

4. Defensive end Sam Okuayinonu

Returned to practice after missing the last two weeks with a groin injury, and stripped the ball out of wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins' hands after Hodgins caught a pass over the middle. Okuayinonu started in place of Nick Bosa, who went through individual drills but not team drills because his neck is sore.

5. Linebacker Curtis Robinson

Knocked tight end Jake Tonges onto his back after Tonges caught a short pass over the middle. Robinson seems like a good bet to make the 53-man roster if he can stay healthy through the final preseason game this Saturday.

6. Quarterback Brock Purdy

Played well with the exception of the interception he through directly to Ji'Ayir Brown. In Purdy's defense, Brown has been terrible in camp, and Purdy has picked on him repeatedly. Still, Brown was waiting in centerfield, and Purdy was throwing a deep pass to Malik Turner who was running a post route directly into Brown. Talk about getting greedy. A few minutes later, Purdy connected with Pearsall who beat Brown from 25 yards. And then shortly after that, Purdy hit George Kittle who beat Luke Gifford for 20 yards. Purdy always knows where the weak links in the defense are when he needs to make a play.

7. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings

Still hasn't practiced since Day of 4 camp due to "calf soreness," according to the team. Jennings also has requested an extension or a trade, a request that might have something to do with his absence. But today, he stood next to the practice field and marched in place to show that he's trying his best to return. He also had blue hair, which might reflect his mood these days as he waits for an extension that probably won't come. If his hair has been green, that might mean he's on the verge of a major payday, but it's not green -- at least not yet. Stay tuned.

THE NOT SO GOOD

1. Quarterback Mac Jones

Will miss at least the next week with a knee sprain he suffered this past Saturday during the 49ers' preseason win over the Raiders. Jones never left the game due to injury, so it's unclear when it occurred. Still, knee injuries always are scary. And until he returns, the 49ers' backup quarterback will be Carter Bradley, who had been horrible in the preseason, or Nate Sudfeld, who wasn't in the NFL last year. Which means Jones can't return soon enough. Because when he's healthy, the 49ers could survive for a few weeks if Purdy were to go down. As of right now, the 49ers are an injury away from Bradley or Sudfeld playing Week 1. That's not good.

2. Left guard Ben Bartch

Missed another practice with a right elbow injury. Today, he warmed up with a trainer on a side field with a big, clunky brace on his arm, a brace which Shanahan said Bartch could use in a real game if necessary. Sounds like the 49ers still expect him to start Week 1, even if he isn't healthy enough to practice right now. Still, it seems unlikely that Bartch will stay healthy all season. He's fragile.

3. Defensive end Mykel Williams

Still hasn't returned since he hyperextended his knee in the joint practice against the Broncos nearly two weeks ago. So far this offseason, Williams has gotten injured three times -- he pulled his hamstring in minicamp, injured his ankle early in camp and then hurt his knee two weeks ago. He sure gets hurt a lot.

4. Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos

Hasn't practiced once this offseason, and now Shanahan says there's a chance he'll start the season on the PUP List. Keep in mind, Gross-Matos has the sixth-highest salary-cap hit on the team this year -- higher than Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy. And he might give them absolutely nothing. It sounds like he has a degenerative knee issue that isn't getting better with time and rest.

5. Nickelback Upton Stout

Missed another practice with a calf injury that could actually be an Achilles injury. After practice, Shanahan said the 49ers have to be careful with Stout because "just watch some basketball players who deal with that stuff." As we know, many high-profile basketball players such as Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton tore their Achilles tendons during the summer because they tried to rush back from calf strains too quickly. Clearly, the 49ers don't want that to happen to Stout. Good for them. Still, it's unclear if Stout will be healthy enough to play in the season opener. If he doesn't, the 49ers could use Chase Lucas at nickel, or they could move Lenoir back into the slot.

6. Running back Patrick Taylor Jr.

Out for the season with a fractured shoulder. The 49ers are incredibly thin at this position. They really shouldn't have traded Jordan Mason to the Vikings.

7. Running back Jeff Wilson Jr.

Replaced Taylor Jr. as the third-string running back behind Christian McCaffrey and Guerendo. And what did Wilson Jr. do? He fumbled.

THE FINAL TAKEAWAYS

1. The 49ers hoped that a successful training camp would allow them to hit the ground running when the regular season starts, but with all these injuries, the 49ers haven't been able to properly prepare themselves, according to Shanahan. And with three divisional games in the first five weeks, the 49ers could stumble out of the gate this season.

2. The 49ers are appealing Demarcus Robinson's suspension, which could mean that it's longer than the three games it was projected to be. In an ideal world, the 49ers would get the league to push back the suspension to midseason when Brandon Aiyuk is healthy, but they probably won't be so lucky.

3. Jake Moody made all of his field-goal attempts today. Do you trust him yet?