Training camp primer

By Scooter_McG

Finally! The long break waiting for training camp to start is drawing to a close, with the 49ers training camp set to start next week. So now is a good time to run through each of the position groups and the key things to look at for at each throughout camp:

QB: Let's start with the big one, the one most people will be focusing on. Jimmy G enters as the incumbent and as the guy the 49ers front office and head coach continue to indicate will be the starter in 2021. But he's the starter... until he isn't. He's no longer the future of the 49ers. QBOTF Trey Lance will be prepped to at least be the backup QB, so will get a lot of reps through training camp to get him ready to contribute if and when called upon. Given the type of player and person he is, you can bet he will come into camp well prepared and ready to compete. If he shows he is across the offense, he will be given every opportunity to compete for that starting job. You can expect that 'Trey Lance watch' will be the theme of most off season reports from the local beat writers. 

Lost in the hype of the impending Jimmy G and Trey Lance battle is the team also needs to figure out who the third QB will be. While much more low key, the battle between Nate Sudfeld and Josh Rosen will also be intriguing. Will Rosen start to show his talent? Or will Rich Scangarello get his man?

RB: The RB room is potentially one of the more loaded groups on the team. Which should make for some interesting training camp battles and tough roster math by the end of the training camp. Juice will obviously be the FB, but the tailbacks are in a bit of a logjam. Wilson's injury provides a little more breathing space for the rest of the group, but the jostling for roles between Mostert, Sermon, Gallman, Mitchell and Hasty will be fun to watch. Can Sermon take the lead RB role from Mostert? Can Mitchell surprise and carve out a significant role, or will Gallman's experience and professionalism see him fight off the challenge? And can Hasty surprise in year 2 and beat any of the others for one of the (likely) four tailback spots on the 53-man roster.   

WR: In my opinion, this is potentially a more intriguing position group than QB. After Deebo and Aiyuk there is a whole lot of question marks. Which is why the 49ers have been looking to add a WR to the roster since the offseason program began. I will be looking closely to see if a player stands out early in camp to take the lead for that third WR role. The players I will be paying attention to will be Hurd, Sanu, Sherfield, James, Benjamin and Jennings. But don't write off any of White, Cracraft, Fowler, Watkins and Jones - this is the most unsettled and uncertain group on the team. Return specialist Nsimba Webster was also recently added, and the team's need for a consistent return man may give him a leg up on making the roster. Don't be surprised if the 49ers continue to look for more additions at this position. 

TE: The number 1 TE role is clear-cut with George Kittle. But how will the rest of the TE group shake out? Dwelley and Woerner are the incumbents and would seem the most likely to be TE's 2 and 3, respectively. They play different roles, with Dwelley more the pass catching TE and Woerner more the blocking specialist (though he is still inexperienced and athletic, so may grow to be more than just that). There are a few wild cards here though. First, the team signed MyCole Pruitt, previously of the Titans. Pruitt distinguished himself as a high quality blocking TE with the Titans and could put pressure on Woerner for that role with the 49ers. Levine Toilolo was an important if unheralded part of the 2019 49ers success running the ball, and they didn't adequately replace him in 2020. Pruitt may be just the man to do it. The other wild cards for mine are actually WRs - big guys like Hurd and Jennings may get looked at as options to take over from the role Jordan Reed was signed to play last season. Effectively a big slot. Another key question that they will need to answer is how many TEs will they keep on the roster? 

OL: 4 of the 5 starting spots appear to already be sewn up on the OL, with Williams (LT), Tomlinson (LG), Mack (C) and McGlinchey (RG). The RG spot, however, is up for grabs. Rookie Aaron Banks will no doubt be a guy to watch and one that the local beat writers and fans keep close tabs on - he was drafted in the 2nd round and expectations will be high that he can win that job. But Brunskill has proven to be a capable performer in a variety of roles and won't be easy to beat out for a rookie. And don't rule out Colton McKivitz - the team was very high on him last year and with a full offseason program under his belt he may be primed to make a strong run for a starting role. 5th round pick Jaylon Moore is also in the mix. Obviously the three players that miss out on the RG starting role will be in the mix for key backup roles, but another interesting battle may be for the swing OT spot. Shon Coleman has been unlucky so far in his time with the 49ers, but this may be his opportunity to win that swing OT role. With Skule out for the year, McKivitz and Moore seem like his main competition, though Brunskill also showed his versatility to play OT in 2019. Senio Kelemete was signed when Skule got injured and may also be in the mix, but would appear to be on the outside looking in. 

DL: The DL will be an interesting one, not only to see how roles shake out, but also how key players come back from injury, and how they line up. The successful return of Bosa, and potentially also Ford, will be vital to the success of this unit. The team signed DEs Ebukam and Key, but neither have proven to be consistently good pass rushers in the NFL as yet. It would appear Armstead is set to stay at DE the majority of snaps. This may not be what many fans want, but could be a sign of how the defense is evolving, with the team happy to sacrifice pass rush on first and second down for more size and strength, to allow them to play less 8-man boxes on early downs while still being ready to stop the run. Looking at the DTs on the roster further supports this idea. Leaner DTs like Buckner and Thomas are now gone, replaced by bigger, stronger DTs such as Kinlaw and Kerr. The rotation of Kinlaw, Jones and Kerr should ensure the team is stout up the middle. Kevin Givens and Maurince Hurst will provide some pass rush juice at DT, likely more as subs on later and obvious passing downs. Other players to keep an eye on will be Kentavius Street and Jordan Willis, though Willis will miss the opening weeks of the regular season due to suspension.

LB: All Paid Fred will headline this unit, with Greenlaw his main sidekick. But after the two main starters there are some question marks. Nate Gerry looked like he might be in the mix for the third LB spot, but was recently released after getting injured in offseason work. The three main options for the third LB role now appear to be returning 49ers Al-Shaair and Flannigan-Fowles, as well as new man James Burgess. All three players have primarily been STs players so far in the NFL. Undrafted rookie Justin Hilliard may have an opportunity to work his way onto the 53-man roster. An X-factor that may play into roster decisions is how the team wants to employ their safeties. The likes of Marcel Harris, Tavon Wilson and rookie Talanoa Hufanga could be options to see action in place of a third LB. 

CB: Verrett, Moseley and Williams would appear to be set as the starters at CB. A bit like the WR room, after the starters there is some question marks. Rookies Ambry Thomas and Demo Lenoir could be in line to be the 4th and 5th CBs, and could see plenty of action early in the careers. Dontae Johnson returns (again) to provide much needed depth and experience. After that, the team has the likes of Ken Webster, Tim Harris and Mark Fields - none of which inspire much confidence. I wouldn't be shocked if the team added a low price vet to the group just before camp starts. 

S: Safety could be another low-key very intriguing training camp group to watch. Jimmie Ward will be one of the starters and a defensive leader for the team. But after that, there are plenty of interesting battles to watch. Tartt would appear the most likely candidate to return in a starting role opposite Ward, but the team didn't prioritise re-signing him. The team has brought in Tavon Wilson and Tony Jefferson, two highly experienced starting safeties that should be right in the mix for that starting job. Of note, Jefferson is not much of a STs player, meaning his value to the team diminishes significantly if he doesn't earn a significant playing time role on defense. Wilson on the other hand is an excellent STs player, and would seem likely to make the roster regardless of whether he earns significant playing time on defense. Marcell Harris returns as well, and could be in the mix for the starting safety position, but the decision to bring in extra competition suggests the team doesn't expect Harris to make that position his own. Rookie Hufanga may have a tough time earning much playing time as one of the deep safeties as a rookie, but as mentioned previously, he and Harris could be in the mix to play a little closer to the line of scrimmage as a big nickel/ dime safety/LB hybrid. 

Specialists: Robbie Gould, Mitch Wishnowsky and Taybor Pepper all return as the specialists. The main battle of interest here will be the punt return specialist. Newly signed Nsimba Webster may earn himself a roster spot purely through lack of other reliable options.  

Let the battles begin!