Top five things to monitor as 49ers begin their OTAs
SANTA CLARA >> Let the games begin. Or, actually, the practices, and definitely the quarterback competition between Trey Lance and Sam Darnold.
Organized team activities, better known as the 49ers' most complete practices of the offseason, begin Monday.
They remain part of the voluntary offseason program, so some All-Pros likely will skip them. Defensive end Nick Bosa has stayed back, thus far, to work out like every offseason in his native Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, doing so now as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Now is not the time for Bosa to report and sign a contract that could be the NFL's largest ever for a non-quarterback, a deal that could land in the $30 million to $35 million annual range once training camp starts in about two months.
Here is what's worth watching, following and scrutinizing at the OTAs, which lead into the June 12-14 mandatory minicamp:
1. QB BATTLE >> Lance vs. Darnold? Lance vs. Brock Purdy's shadow? Lance vs. his own injury history, vs. his throwing motion, vs. draft-pick expectations?
These and many more questions engulf Lance's comeback from last September's ankle fracture. A year ago, he was still trying to regrip the ball after an August 2021 finger fracture, but the QB1 job was his. Neither Nate Sudfeld nor Purdy would unseat him.
Now, the QB1 role is temporarily open until Purdy can prove recovered from an elbow injury. Lance's finger and ankle are now so healthy, coach Kyle Shanahan said May 10: “Trey's the best (version) we've had of him right now.
“Yeah, we've got to get into OTAs and practice,” Shanahan added, “but when you just watch his feet and his timing when he's throwing the ball, he's in such a better place now than he was last year at this time.”
Darnold has generated a lot of buzz around the NFL about his potential to seize the starting role and succeed with a cast that dwarfs those he struggled with on the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers.
“He hasn't been in the best situations and stuff, so that's why I'm glad to have him here,” Shanahan said. “I'm so glad he wanted to come here. He could have gone to a lot of other situations and probably made a lot more money, because Sam is at that level.
“He wanted to be in this situation, and that's so good for us because we still are trying to figure out what is our health situation when all is said and done.”
Which brings this all back to Purdy. He's been part of the offseason program since it began a month ago. He's lightly working on his throwing motion and could introduce a football to that in the coming weeks.
Two things: Will he be allowed on the practice field in a non-throwing capacity, and could he even execute handoffs or fake throws in practices?
Time will tell, starting Monday.
2. THIRD-ROUNDERS COMPETE >> Running back Ty Davis-Price and wide receiver Danny Gray, a pair of third-round draft picks last year, barely played as rookies. How they respond this offseason should prove critical to their 49ers tenures. The same could be said of defensive end Drake Jackson, whose offseason work at the team facility has been the subject
of praise from the 49ers' brass.
Davis-Price's spot as RB4 (behind Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason) will be pursued by undrafted rookies Khalan Laborn and Ronald Awatt. But these are non-contact, 11on-11 practices, so running backs can't be fully evaluated. Their receiving ability can, however, and there should be ample throws coming their way.
Gray was stuck behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ray-Ray McCloud last year. In play for a 53-man roster spot could be rookie Ronnie Bell, practice-squad products Tay Martin and Dazz Newsome, and veterans Chris Conley and Willie Snead IV. Undrafted rookie Isaiah Winstead — who signed after his practice tape went viral — is an intriguing long shot.
3. WILKS AND CORNERBACKS >> Who's the new guy running the show? That would be Steve Wilks, presiding over one of the NFL's top defenses but one humbled in the NFC title game loss at Philadelphia.
Wilks not only replaces DeMeco Ryans as defensive coordinator but also becomes the cornerbacks' main tutor, all due respect to defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks (a coordinator in waiting).
The 49ers tapped into free agency for Charvarius Ward last year and Isaiah Oliver this offseason, but the cornerbacks unit is an otherwise homegrown product. Time for Deommodore Lenoir, Ambry Thomas, Sam Womack III and Darrell Luter Jr. to work on their press-man coverage skills in a defense that has utilized more zone looks in recent years.
4. OFFENSIVE LINE OPTIONS >> Honestly, you can't judge linemen until they're in full pads for full-contact action — so, essentially, not until games. But we can see who is auditioning where.
The casting call at offensive tackle is especially intriguing, and not just at McGlinchey's old home of right tackle, where Colton McKivitz is bucking for a promotion. Trent Williams, an All-Pro each of the past two seasons, doesn't need OTA reps, but his backup will, and that could mean great opportunities for Matt Pryor, Jaylon Moore, Leroy Watson, undrafted rookie Joey Fisher and fan favorite Alfredo Gutierrez.
The 49ers also need to find their top interior backup to replace Daniel Brunskill (Titans). Who will be center Jake Brendel's understudy? Who's behind guards Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford? Jason Poe won a practice-squad award last season as an undrafted rookie, so he's the up-andcomer, while Jon Feliciano is the veteran newcomer.
5.SECOND-STRING STRENGTH >> The 49ers' reserves must maximize these reps, battle for jobs, and prove their worth as the next men up for the long grind from the Sept. 10 opener in Pittsburgh to, ideally, the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
Almost the entire starting lineup returns — except right tackle Mike McGlinchey, defensive end Samson Ebukam and kicker Robbie Gould — so it's not as if the veterans must learn scheme and fundamentals.
Special-teams drills often are overlooked, but with the way this roster is nearly set, they're a great way for underdogs to get their name onto the depth chart.