Kurtenbach: 4 under-the-radar lessons from 49ers training camp
I know you’re sick of Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams talk.
I’m sick of it too.
Will they, won’t they, will there be a trade, is a signing imminent? We’ve discussed these players’ contract standoffs ad nauseam.
And it’s put a pall on the entirety of 49ers training camp which effectively, if not officially ended Wednesday.
At some point, there will be resolutions with Aiyuk and Williams. (I think. Don’t hold me to this.)
In the meantime, some other things happened over the last month that might have flown under the radar. Here are four camp developments — heralded or not — I think will have a big impact on the Niners’ 2024 season:
A missed opportunity
Training camp is so important for rookies. No spot in the NFL is guaranteed, and when you are out of sight, you are out of mind. And by the time next year’s training camp rolls around, your team might have already replaced you.
Ricky Pearsall, as a first-round draft pick, might be given more deference than most rookies, but he is currently out of sight and out of mind.
And this delayed start to his professional career could have serious ramifications on him reaching his potential in the league.
Pearsall is sidelined with a shoulder injury and hasn’t practiced in weeks. He’ll miss the entire preseason schedule, too. His first real, in-uniform NFL reps will be in the regular season. Will the Niners even give him those opportunities?
Pearsall’s injury absence hurts the Niners as much as it hurts him. With Brandon Aiyuk’s status for Week 1 and beyond in question, Pearsall should have been part of a replacement rotation at the X receiver spot alongside Chris Conley and Jauan Jennings, should Aiyuk not play or be limited in early weeks.
Those reps would have been massive for Pearsall and his development. They would have been important for the Niners, too — Pearsall’s talent was first-round worthy.
But that all seems highly unlikely to happen now, and the ramifications could be felt in years to come.
Top-heavy lines
I know the game has changed, becoming more perimeter-oriented. Maybe I’m just an old man now, complaining about a game that is no longer played.
But I still think to win the Super Bowl, you need to have strong — if not elite — play along the lines.
There’s no reason to think the 49ers have that coming into the season.
Without Trent Williams, the offensive line is a mess. If the season were to start in two weeks, Nick Zakelj would be the starting left guard. That’s a problem. (Aaron Banks will probably start in Week 1, but his broken pinkie is inauspicious.)
Meanwhile, center Jake Brendel can’t seem to snap the ball in shotgun. That’s a problem.
And right tackle Colton McKivitz might have a new contract — a vote of confidence — but he does not look like he’s taken a step forward this offseason. No, he’s rather taking many, many steps backward, rep after rep.
Rookie Dom Puni has been a revelation at right guard, but he’s now the no-questioned starter. He’s good, but he’s a rookie. We’ll see if that’s a problem in due time.
Williams’ return would massively help, but this is still a bottom-half offensive line, perhaps even bottom-third, in the league with his return.
Without Williams, it might be the worst offensive line in football.
Worst to first
This might come as a shock to 49ers fans, but cornerback — a position that has been a bugaboo for years — is inarguably the deepest position on the team this season. And a big reason why Niners fans should be optimistic about the team’s pass defense is second-round pick Renardo Green, who has taken claim to the No. 2/3 cornerback job in recent weeks.
Why No. 2/3? Well, it seems that the Niners are going to slide Deommodore Lenoir outside to inside again this season.
But seeing as teams play more Nickel (five defensive backs, meaning a slot “corner” is on the field), Green’s emergence is no small thing, and it’s not come by default.
Free-agent signing Isaac Yiadom had the inside track to that No. 2/3 role early in camp. Boy, did he look great. But he’s injured, and has been Wally Pipped.
To have him for depth is patently absurd, though. He’s really, really good.
And another offseason addition, Rock Ya-Sin has flashed, too. He’d start for a lot of teams.
Sam Womack and Darrell Luter will battle it out for the final spot on the roster. I think it’s Luter’s job, but we’ll know come next Tuesday.
A name that hasn’t been mentioned? Ambry Thomas. He started for this team last year. He was trending towards being a cut well before he broke his arm in the Niners’ first preseason game.
Yeah, cornerback is deep.
Filling roles
But it’s still top-heavy. If George Kittle goes down, the 49ers have no one who can reasonably be put in the No. 1 tight end role.
That said, I think San Francisco upgraded this offseason at blocking tight end.
Eric Saubert is outstanding as an additional offensive lineman — something the Niners might need quite often this season, particularly off the right side. He’s been a significant upgrade over Charlie Woerner.
Meanwhile, I’m liking what I’ve seen from Brayden Willis. As a receiving-first tight end, he has shown the ability to get open in practice (even if Brock Purdy had an issue with him not coming back to the ball on a play in the preseason game with the Saints). He’s a more viable H-Back/Fullback option — backing up Kyle Juszczyk — than Ross Dwelley ever was.
Again, the Niners don’t have that heir apparent to No. 85 — and that’s living dangerously — but they have solid role players for 2024.