It looked initially like the 49ers might have a relatively uneventful training camp.
The quarterback situation was always going to steal headlines, but beyond that the starting jobs were few and the available roster spots came down the depth chart. San Francisco didn’t really even have any high-profile rookies to track.
However, the way things have shaken out through the first few weeks of camp has offered a handful of surprise story lines. Here are the six biggest surprises of the preseason so far for San Francisco:
No Nick Bosa deal
It wasn’t much of a surprise when Bosa and the 49ers hadn’t hammered out a long-term contract extension by Day 1 of training camp. It wasn’t really a surprise when the negotiations carried into the following few days either. With the calendar firmly in mid-August now it is a bit surprising the two sides haven’t hammered out a deal to get Bosa back in uniform. All indications are negotiations are going well, and the team hasn’t expressed any consternation over the contract or Bosa’s absence. While it’s a bit unexpected that Bosa still isn’t signed, as long as a deal is done in time for him to prepare for Week 1 the holdout will be forgotten.
Nickel CB battle
It looked for all intents and purposes going into camp that the 49ers had a trio of starting cornerbacks set. Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir would play outside, while free agent addition Isaiah Oliver would man the slot. Now that’s all been thrown into disarray following a rough preseason debut for Oliver. There’s competition at the nickel spot, which could result in Ambry Thomas snagging a starting job after he was virtually a non-factor last season. A handful of other players like AJ Parker, D’Shawn Jamison and Samuel Womack III are also in the mix. This was expected to be a battle for back end roster spots. Now it could be a battle for starting jobs and key defensive roles.
Tyrion Davis-Price breakout
All signs pointed toward Davis-Price following Trey Sermon’s path out of Santa Clara. Sermon was a 2021 third-round pick who was mostly unimpressive as a rookie, but never got a chance to turn the corner because of injury. He was then forced out by a glut of talent at the running back position. All of those things also applied to Davis-Price, but instead of falling behind in the RB race he’s put together a tremendous training camp that could put him in line for a real role on offense this year. He took a significant leap and now appears to be well off the Sermon track.
UDFA CB D'Shawn Jamison
We mentioned Jamison earlier in the bit about the nickel corner battle, but he deserves his own section. The undrafted rookie from Texas has been the only UDFA to really make waves in camp. Players and coaches have talked in press conferences about his competitiveness and his footwork in coverage. In the preseason opener he showed off the ability to play physical and tackle, while also contributing as a kick returner. It looked like a bad year to be a UDFA on the 49ers’ offseason roster, but Jamison might be forcing his way into a roster spot in Year 1.
Javon Kinlaw: Full participant
One of the most welcome surprises of camp has been Kinlaw’s availability. His steps forward as a player will likely come once he gets more game reps, but the fact he’s yet to miss a practice is a significant win for a player who was in and out of the last two camps and played only 10 games total the last two seasons because of knee issues. Whether he takes a leap at this point is inconsequential. Keeping him healthy and on the field is a great first step toward Kinlaw developing into a key piece of San Francisco’s defensive front.
Brandon Allen hanging around
The 49ers originally added Allen during the offseason to work in as a third quarterback while Brock Purdy recovered from offseason elbow surgery. Allen impressed in OTAs though and held onto his roster spot even though Purdy was back for the start of training camp. All signs and practice reps indicate Allen isn’t necessarily in the picture for a job on the 53-man roster, but the fact he’s still hanging around and getting time in the preseason is a bit of a surprise that could indicate the team hasn’t ruled him out entirely.
