SANTA CLARA — Tuesday’s practice seemed ho-hum enough at 49ers training camp. And then Brock Purdy hit the deck in the backfield.
Purdy shook off the scary play in which he, and specifically his right ankle, got rolled into by defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who tumbled into the pocket as Isaac Guerendo ran with the ball toward the left edge.
Purdy was immediately helped up onto his feet by Elliott and a concerned Nick Bosa. That scene unfolded in the background while other players continued downfield, and there was no stoppage of play as Purdy went about his business.
“I was just like, ‘Brock, you good?’ after the play,” center Jake Brendel said.
That one play reflected the defense’s aggressive, up-field approach as Brendel essentially let Elliott surge past him up the middle as the ball was already on its way elsewhere with Guerendo.
“These are just the things that come with our defensive scheme and techniques,” Brendel said. “They’re very, very coiled as a defensive line. Right at the snap, they’ll unleash as much strength and power as they can vertically to try to get that push.
“We had an outside (zone run) play called, and it was never going to be touched by a guy in the ‘A’ gap, so I kind of let (Elliott) do his thing.”
After Purdy’s next pass got broken up by Darrell Luter Jr., the $265 million quarterback stepped up in the pocket behind left tackle Trent Williams and unleashed a deep pass. Rookie Jordan Watkins, filling in with the first-string unit in place of Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, raced down the spine of the field to track down that pass beyond Luter’s coverage for a would-be 75-yard touchdown.
Purdy finished out practice and did not seek aid from a trainer, though he did appear to test his ankle while throwing on the side at one point.
Purdy’s final pass resulted in a 5-yard touchdown lob to Russell Gage in a red zone drill. Purdy was 3-of-6 after the accidental contact by Elliott and 6-of-11 overall with an interception, that being snagged by linebacker Luke Gifford after Purdy got pressured on a bootleg by Sam Okuayinonu.
Purdy, who missed Friday’s practice while attending the birth of his daughter, opened Tuesday’s 11-on-11 session with a completion to a wide-open George Kittle. Mac Jones was 10-of-13 as the second-string quarterback, and Tanner Mordecai was 5-of-8, with Corey Kiner fumbling Mordecai’s final completion and Tre Avery recovering to end the 90-minute session.
NO WILLIAMS, PEARSALL, LENOIR
Defensive end Mykel Williams missed his first practice of his debut camp with an ankle injury that is considered minor, according to a team spokesman.
Pearsall rested after practicing the past two days and coming off the Physically Unable to Perform list.
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and running back Jordan James were not present for unknown reasons.
Still out were cornerback Renardo Green (hamstring) and wide receivers Jennings (calf) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring).
First-team replacements saw Luter and Dallis Flowers at cornerback, while Demarcus Robinson and Watkins were first-team wide receivers.
WIDE RECEIVER REVIEW
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Watkins, a fourth-round pick, is conquering the mental challenge of adapting as a rookie.
“Mentally, he did a good job in OTAs, coming back and he’s starting to stack days, stack the mental, that’s the strain on a rookie,” Kubiak said before practice. “Not only your body but the mental strain. Being here every day and being on it. He has shown he can handle the mental load and do a good job. He just needs to keep getting better and show up to practice and get after it.”
Kubiak had similar words about Pearsall, last year’s first-round pick who’s been hindered by health issues the past year.
“Ricky’s a really sharp guy. He learns really quickly. That hasn’t been much of an issue for him,” Kubiak said. “He’s just got to keep getting his body in shape. He’s missed some time, and Ricky’s got to show up every day, just keep getting in shape, get his legs back like the rest of these guys, and get to the point in the preseason where they just keep stacking days to get ready for Week 1.”
ONE-ON-ONE HIGHLIGHTS
Right tackle Colton McKivitz rebounded from an opening duel with Nick Bosa to anchor against him in their encore matchup. Among the one-on-one winners in at least one matchup were Dee Winters (vs. Christian McCaffrey), Mason Pline (vs. Jalen Graham), Bryce Huff (vs. Austen Pleasants), Jake Tonges (vs. Jaylen Mahoney), and Evan Anderson (vs. Connor Colby).
EX-NINER WARD SPEAKS OUT
Former 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward, in a characteristically candid interview with The Athletic’s Mike Silver, retraced his dramatic final year with the 49ers from a personal and professional standpoint.
“Even before everything happened with my baby, I really wasn’t super motivated,” Ward said, referring to the Oct. 28 death of his 23-month-old daughter. “Because after the year I had in ‘23, I wanted a contract extension — because I wanted to stay — and I knew I wasn’t getting a contract offer. … I wasn’t motivated; like, from OTAs all the way through camp, I was kind of pissed off. I knew when the season started it was a wrap for me in the Bay.”
Ward said the 49ers’ John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan congratulated him upon signing a three-year, $60 million with Indianapolis in free agency. A year ago, however, Ward was upset that other stars who bypassed offseason workouts and training camp got extensions (see: Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams). Ward did not begrudge fellow cornerback Deommodore Lenoir for landing one midseason.
“They drafted him, and he’s younger than me. They probably like Demo a little bit better,” Ward said. “He’s a little more physical and aggressive than me. I can lock anybody down. Kyle and John, they want head-busters. I mean, I’m not mad. He got what he deserved. All-Pros don’t grow on trees, though.”
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JACKSON TO IR, REPLACED BY UFL STAR
The 49ers put defensive end Tarron Jackson on season-ending Injured Reserve, after Sunday’s neck injury sent him to Stanford Hospital for a one-night observation. Jaylon Allen, formerly of the UFL, replaced Jackson on the roster and debuted in practice.
