Brock Purdy didn’t practice on Friday for personal reasons.
The San Francisco 49ers and their final practice of their first training camp block on Friday. Starting quarterback Brock Purdy was excused from Friday’s session due to a personal matter.
That meant Mac Jones ran the show. A Ji’Ayir Brown interception welcomed him, but he also got to be a lead blocker on a reverse. One trait coaches have to appreciate about Jones is that he throws the ball. He’ll give his wide receivers an opportunity to make a play and knows where to go with the ball.
Jauan Jennings practiced. It didn’t take him long to get back into midseason form. Jennings and Deommodore Lenoir got into a quick fight, per the media on hand.
Jennings was also involved in a deep pass down the sideline with Renardo Green, who broke the pass up, but something caused Green to come off the field gimpy. He walked off the field and did not return to practice. The reporters with a close-up view saw Green stretching his hamstring, leaning to the assumption that Green sustained a hamstring injury.
I would argue that Green is one of the three most important players on the 49ers’ defense this season. If he can continue to ascend as a player, it would take pressure off the rest of the secondary while allowing Robert Saleh to get more creative at every level.
We’ve seen how dominant the 49ers can be defensively with All-Pro-level cornerback play. That prototype is generally closer to Green’s stature than Lenoir’s. We can expect the coaching staff to be cautious and patient with Green’s injury. We’ll provide any updates once they’re available.
Other than Purdy, the only other player who wasn’t present during Friday’s practice was wide receiver Jacob Cowing. Saturday is an off day, and the team will return to practice on Sunday.