I love training camp.
Not only is it the official start of football season, but it’s also the only time we can see the 49ers practice this campaign.
Talent and competition, desperation and expectation. This is football in its purest form, played by one of the best teams in the NFL.
Yes, the 49ers are that just that, even with a first-year starter at quarterback. I don’t need to see the other 31 teams to make such a determination.
Here’s what else I’ve taken away from the start of camp and what I’m looking forward to in the weeks to come.
This 49ers defense is going to be so, so good
— Training camp, especially the portion without pads, can fool you into believing some crazy things. But here’s something I am certain will stand up in a few days, weeks, and months: This 49ers defense is sick.
Let’s just start with the basics: there isn’t a weak unit on it.
We start, as the Niners do, up front.
This Niners’ defensive line is impressive. Consistently one of the best units in the NFL, it now has a fully healthy, no-restrictions Nick Bosa looking like a $30 million a year player on one side, and with a seemingly never-ending pool of plus pass rushers next to him.
How well this front stops the run is not something we can determine just yet — we need to see padded practices, as well as Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw playing together — but the pass rush is going to create hell for opposing offensive lines.
Behind that defensive line is the best base-three linebacker crew in the NFL. The trifecta of Fred Warner, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Dre Greenlaw is simply awesome. Warner is an All-Pro in his prime and his counterparts are Pro Bowl-caliber players.
As are the Niners’ starting outside cornerbacks. It’s only been a few practices, but the further you are from the ball at the snap, the easier it is to determine if a player is good without pads. Do cornerbacks even need pads?
Regardless, Charvarius Ward appears to be an ace pickup. He’s as impressive a press corner as I have ever seen and the Niners are encouraging him to jam at the line of scrimmage. The battles between him and Brandon Aiyuk have been outstanding, and with the uber-athletic and always-poised-for-a-breakout Emmanuel Mosley on the other side and Jimmie Ward playing free safety, the Niners are in the strange spot where both their pass rush and their pass coverage is good.
That’s usually a combination that creates defensive brilliance.
There are a few questions, but not one of them feels so glaring as to devalue the overall operation: defensive tackle depth, linebacker depth behind the big three, starting nickel back, and strong safety.
Let’s dive in further to the last one there.
Hufanga has competition
— I came into camp with serious questions about new starting strong safety Talanoa Hufanga, mainly stemming from what I perceived to be his shoddy coverage skills.
But he has been rock solid so far in camp, and I imagine he’ll make more of a presence once pads are donned.
That said, there is good depth at safety for the Niners. I like what I’ve seen from George Odum and rookie Leon O’Neal. And Tarvarius Moore has been outstanding so far in camp, posting a two-interception day on Saturday.
It’s still Hufonga’s job. He hasn’t given the Niners any reason to give it to anyone else. But he could still lose his job in the coming weeks, even if he has a strong camp.
It’s a tough league, the NFL. Hufanga is a tough player. I’m fascinated to watch him the rest of camp.
Tight window
— Speaking of the rest of camp, it must be noted that the 49ers have a strange schedule this summer.
There are really only two weeks remaining in camp. The Niners’ first preseason game will be Aug. 12 at Levi’s Stadium against the Packers. That’s effectively the end of training camp as we know it.
After that, the team will head to Minnesota for some critical, team-defining practices against the Vikings and a preseason game. That’s a big week.
But after that, I wouldn’t expect much to happen, with the third preseason game being five days later.
Once the three preseason games are over, I’ll bet it won’t be long until doors will be closed for practice and we’ll be in regular-season mode with weeks before the Niners’ Week 1 affair.
And that’s probably when they’ll put in the real offensive playbook.
If you’re expecting much from the preseason games, a word of advice: don’t.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan has wanted to punt preseason games for a long time. This year’s compressed exhibition schedule and the league’s single cut date will give him a great excuse to do just that.
As for the offense
Three big things stand out to me from the offensive side of the ball.
— The first is that Dan Brunskill might be a do-it-all offensive lineman, capable of playing across the front, but “all” does not include playing center.
The guy cannot snap. Full stop. Snapping isn’t something you pay much attention to until it’s bad, and Brunskill’s snaps are noticeable. Left, right, down, and up — Brunskill’s shotgun snaps are anywhere but on the money.
I don’t want to give first-year-starting quarterback Trey Lance a pass for up-and-down play, but it’s hard to be successful against this Niners’ defense with this makeshift offense line (both starting tackles have been sidelined) and impossible when snaps are all over the place.
It’s early, but Brunskill’s time at center should be over. If he’s incapable of snapping the ball during a time without pads, what will happen when he has a defensive tackle coming full-bore at him?
I’ve liked Jake Brendel in past camps, and he has been just fine in this one. Is he a starter-caliber center for the first time at age 29? I doubt that. But he’s the best center on this Niners team so far.
General manager John Lynch and his staff have a “ready list” at every position. At center, they need to get that list ready.
— The second big note is that I love the Niners’ top four running backs.
Elijah Mitchell looks like a bonafide No. 1, Jeff Wilson looks lighter and faster, Trey Sermon looks larger, and Tyrion Davis-Price looks like he has a chance to be a star.
The pass protection has been poor so far in camp, but this line and the team can run the ball, especially with Lance demanding a defender or two.
On Sermon, he looks the part of a perfect third-down back. The Niners don’t want him carrying the ball too much, but Sermon is a strong pass catcher and his size should help with pass protection. I’m really excited to watch his blocking this week.
And boy, am I excited to see Davis-Price — who looks like a linebacker in the backfield — run over some poor second and third-string defenders.
(For what it’s worth, I’m also a fan of undrafted free agent Jordan Mason. He could really be something down the line.)
— Finally, the Niners have been mixing and matching players on the offensive line, but I can see why they’re giving rookie Spencer Burford first dibs at the starting right guard spot.
He’s big, he’s mean, and while he’ll need to keep it up once pads go on, I think he might just hold the job.
