SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just finished Day 7 of training camp. Here's who stood out. Keep in mind, the following players did not participate: Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Osa Odighizuwa, Kyle Juszczyk, Jacob Cowing, Carver Willis, De'Zhaun Stribling and Kaelon Black. More on them in a minute.THE GOOD1. Quarterback Brock PurdyBy far the most physically gifted quarterback on the roster even though he's the smallest quarterback on the roster. He's just so quick and difficult to contain in the pocket, which is important for the 49ers, because they don't provide much of a pocket. And when it's time to throw, Purdy is making outstanding decisions with the ball. He hasn't forced a pass into coverage in more than a week. Unfortunately for him, his best receiver remains his running back, and his best wide receiver currently is Jordan Watkins. Too bad the 49ers alienated Brandon Aiyuk by voiding his guarantees last year. Purdy could really use him.2. Running back Christian McCaffreyHasn't missed a practice yet in camp. Suddenly, he's the most durable player on the team. And he's still the 49ers' best receiver. If he gets injured, they're screwed. They'd better be careful with him. And that includes Fred Warner, who threw a punch at McCaffrey today. More on Warner in a minute.3. Left tackle Trent WilliamsParticipated in 1-on-1s and 11-on-11s, which is incredible for a 38-year-old future Hall of Famer. Williams hasn't practiced every day, but he has participated in roughly half the practices. As opposed to Nick Bosa, who has yet to take a single rep in 1-on-1s or 11-on-11s. And yet, Bosa, who's 28, missed today's practice with soreness, while Williams suited up and competed. That's one reason Williams is a future Hall of Famer and Bosa is not. Bosa doesn't play enough. More on him in a minute.4. Left guard Robert JonesTook all the reps at left guard with the starters for the first time. If the coaches loved second-year guard Connor Colby, they wouldn't have given his reps to Jones today. This competition is wide open.5. Wide receiver Jordan WatkinsNow that Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing are injured, the 49ers' top-three healthy wide receivers on the depth chart are Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel and Jordan Watkins. And today, the best of those three clearly was Watkins, who caught a deep touchdown pass from Purdy during 11-on-11s. Of these three healthy wide receivers, Watkins is the youngest, the fastest, the quickest, and the best route runner. He can beat you with a quick slant or a post over the top. The only area of the field where he struggles is over the middle, because he's not particularly big. Still, he's improving.6. Wide receiver Junior BurgenCaught two passes from Purdy over the middle in the red zone. The second catch was a touchdown. Bergen is small, but he has been making a couple plays every day and looks to have a good chance to make the team, and returns kickoffs along with Deebo Samuel.THE NOT SO GOOD1. Defensive end Nick BosaMissed practice due to general soreness the day after a day off. Coming into today, the 49ers had practiced just once in the previous three days, and he still was sore, even though he doesn't really practice. He warms up, goes through drills with his position and then watches his teammates compete during 1-on-1s and 11-on-11s. Either he's protesting training camp's proximity to the electrical substation, or he's really sore despite doing the absolute minimum the past couple weeks. This has been the 49ers' lightest training camp of the Kyle Shanahan Era, and yet the team still suffers three or four injuries a day. Maybe they should move training camp to a different site. It couldn't hurt.2. Defensive tackle Osa OdighizuwaAlso missed practice due to general soreness. The 49ers seem to shut down any player who has a hangnail just so they can be on the field for Week 1. Unfortunately, these players aren't ready for live action, and often get injured during the season. That's what happened to the 49ers last year. Don't expect to see Odghizuwa on the practice field any time soon. Same goes for Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling.3. Linebacker Dre GreenlawAlso missed practice due to general soreness. At least he was on the field, standing next to Raheem Morris, in his stance, taking mental reps. I never saw Bosa or Odighizuwa.4. Fullback Kyle JuszczykMissed practice with a broken finger. Hard to blame this one on the electrical substation. Maybe this injury is just a product of age. Juszczyk isn't exactly young.5. Linebacker Fred WarnerPracticed, which is commendable, but he tried to punch the ball out of McCaffrey's hands during a run play, which is not smart. Warner already broke one running back's ribs in training camp by throwing a punch at the football. God forbid he injures McCaffrey as well. Warner needs to chill out. He's playing like a rookie with something to prove.6. Training camp in generalIt's a joke. The 49ers can't get anything meaningful done because every day another three or four players go down. I'm not saying the electrical substation is the reason for the injuries, but it could be. The 49ers don't really know what effect that substation has on its players. Until they know for sure, or until they stop suffering so many injuries, they should move training camp somewhere else. Anywhere else. They could practice in my backyard if they'd like. Just get away from the giant electrical substation. And replace the training staff that gets terrible grades for the players every year. And don't cancel minicamp and then throw your players into full-speed practices during training camp with minimal ramp-up. Don't sign older players with a history of injuries, either. And don't rush injured players back onto the field before they're 100 percent healthy. I shouldn't have to remind the 49ers of these things, but I will until something changes.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
The Good and Not So Good from Day 7 of 49ers Camp: Bosa and Greenlaw Miss a Day
SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers just finished Day 7 of training camp. Keep in mind, the following players did not participate: Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Osa Odighizuwa.









