Day 8: Injuries and Off-Days - Looking at solutions for WR

Injuries equal opportunity for many unproven players + With WR depth thinner every practice, we look at some solutions.

Aug 24, 2020

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Day 7 of training camp is in the books and there is a mixture of good and bad news. Let’s start off with the bad news: Brandon Aiyuk went down with a hamstring injury today, there is no word yet but it does not look to be a long term injury thankfully. With that being said, hamstrings are infamously very hard to evaluate and are prone to reinjury/complications, so let’s hope he can stay healthy from here. Aiyuk has arguably been the best WR in camp as a rookie, showcasing incredible speed, burst, route-running, and chemistry with Jimmy Garoppolo. With Jalen Hurd already out for the season with a torn ACL, Deebo out with a fracture in his foot to start the season, and Richie James on the NFI list, the 49ers depth at WR is dangerously thin and this injury does not help one bit. Kendrick Bourne and Dante Pettis are now slated in at starting WR with Trent in the slot, at least til we get word on Aiyuk and Deebo.

Ross Reynolds also went down, and had to be carted off the field. Yet another interior OL injury for the 49ers, and the hits keep on coming. Dee Ford also went down though his injury is not knee related, which bodes well with his history of tendinitis. Ford should be fine, but that does not change the fact that the Niners now have: Armstead, Bosa, DJ Jones, Ronald Blair, Jullian Taylor, and now Ford out with injuries. OL, DL, WR, arguably the 3 most important positions outside of QB, are all in serious trouble depth-wise.

But to the good news. Main story: Solomon Thomas again is showing out, that is now 4 days in a row that he has played exclusively inside and 4 days in a row he has played well. He had 3 tackles and a run stop again today, while also winning multiple reps, and as mentioned in past articles, has had a couple sacks the past few days as well.

Solomon Thomas may have had his best session of the week. The defensive lineman notched multiple quarterback pressures and a run stop during the drill. He also beat his man on several 1-on-1 reps.

KP @KP_Show

The three best players on the field today were Solomon Thomas, Emmanuel Moseley, and Kwon Alexander. Thomas made a ton of plays at the LOS, all from 3-tech. Weird. Moseley just doesn’t get beat. Kwon was everywhere. Best play was running down the field vs Bourne for PBU

KP @KP_Show

@cmikesspinmove Yup. took awhile but he has a plan as a pass rusher. he’s eating folks up with that Donald jump/arm over move.

Now obviously, these have to be taken with a grain of salt because it’s training camp. But I honestly can’t remember this many good reports about Thomas… ever. He is very disruptive inside at the 3-tech and NT. I had actually pointed out very early, before this streak began that with all of these injuries to the d-line depth as well as Buckner departing and Kinlaw having a slow start, Thomas had a massive opportunity and it looks like it has gone according to plan. Speaking of Kinlaw, he also had a good practice. Interesting that Thomas is using the Donald move, considering he has worked out with Aaron Donald during off seasons and the two are similar physically. Big-time if true, especially because Thomas is mostly winning against Tomlinson inside who has had a great camp. Injuries are bad but they create opportunity, and so far Thomas has been the one taking advantage of that, and now Kinlaw is starting to get acclimated as well. I’d like to see maybe put on a little more weight since 280 for an interior lineman is light, but if speed and burst is his strength, so be it.

The Receiving Corps

Aiyuk going down does not change that Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor are balling. Those are the 2 longest tenured WRs on this roster now, and it shows with their chemistry and connection with Garoppolo and the rest of the QBs. Pettis also caught 2 today but had a costly drop after beating Dontae “Why am I still on the roster” Johnson. Either way, Pettis is at a much better place than last season and will take on a bigger role this season.

Charlie Woerner also had a good practice with 3 catches. The best part about Woerner this training camp has been his catching and route-running. He isn’t going to be a Kittle type game changer at TE in the passing game, but for someone drafted strictly as a blocking TE, his catching ability is a pleasant surprise. Jordan Reed continues to slowly but surely make his way into full participation. Ross Dwelley is still out with a foot injury as injuries pile up.

Pettis, Aiyuk, Taylor, Nelson, and Tavon Austin all got snaps at returner spots. I still think the returners end up being Pettis at PR, and Austin at KR, but if the coaching staff is confident that Taylor will stay healthy it could be him too.

No Fly Zone

The secondary continues to play outstanding, which is to be expected as they were part of the best passing defense in the league last season. Sherman got a vet day off today, so Moseley and Witherspoon took most of the snaps at CB with Verrett getting a decent share too, and all three had pretty good practices, Moseley with the best. Witherspoon also had multiple PBUs, he seems to be gaining confidence back which bodes well.

Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt continue to impress during camp. Ward had an incredible PBU, and Tartt continues to impress as well. Ward prevented most big plays last season, but he seems to be making a lot more plays and forcing turnovers this season in addition to that. Tarvarius Moore also has played well the past few days, though not as good as the rest of them.

The LBs were great, Kwon Alexander ended practice with a great pass breakup on Bourne, and Alexander had multiple big hits and run stops as well. If he’s healthy, the 49ers can have two Pro-Bowl caliber LBs. Both Alexander and Warner are outstanding in coverage as well.

The Committee

As usual, Shanahan RBs continue to impress both running and catching. McKinnon and Coleman are having fun and gashing this defense, as Mostert continues to have the stranglehold on the majority of carries. We know that Shanahan likes to ride the hot hand, so that could change. McKinnon is damn near impossible to guard one on one if you put a LB on him, and this is really important for a couple reasons:

If you put a safety on McKinnon, that means you have to put a LB on Kittle which is not ideal for a defense to say the least.
McKinnon and Juszczyk together in the passing game is a LBs nightmare.

Coleman also played well, and even though JaMychal Hasty had played very well the past few sessions, he didn’t get any reps today, along with fellow UDFA RB Salvon Ahmed. I feel bad for the preseason being cancelled because a player like Hasty could have benefited massively from in-game reps, experience, and opportunity.

Around the League

Earl Thomas III, stalwart safety for the Ravens was released today after a messy altercation yesterday with fellow safety Chuck Clark. Thomas after having nearly no off-field issues for almost a decade on the Seahawks, has had multiple questionable incidents happen in the past few months/year. I’m not going to go into details, but let’s just say that if Thomas hadn’t had those incidents, he likely would not have been released just off this altercation. This was a build-up. There are some whispers the 49ers could look at him, but it is a hard pass. Unless Sherman really vouches for Earl, I can’t see a signing, and besides, the need is not there although he would most likely be an upgrade. Suitors for Earl are projected to be:

Dallas, Philadelphia, and Houston

Ron Rivera, Head coach for the Washington Football Team, announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer. Prayers up for the former Panthers coach.

Arizona, after Robert Alford had a season-ending injury, signed Dre Kirkpatrick today. Kirkpatrick is a decent corner, albeit not very good, and he is on the wrong side of 30, but he is just some good depth for Arizona. Their defense looks to take a massive step up from years prior, behind all-world edge rusher Chandler Jones and freak LB Isaiah Simmons, as well as the lockdown corner Patrick Peterson. They have elite players at every level of the defense.

Browns signed Malcolm Smith after their young LB, Mack Wilson out of Alabama, got injured and is now out for the season.

Finally, the Chiefs opened up their practice to the public, but made sure to limit the amount of viewers while requiring social distancing and masks while seated. Pictures came out after the fact that showed that masks were not being enforced, and this is the perfect example of why fans won’t work this season. 99 people can wear a mask but if 1 does not, it ruins it for the rest, and worse, the number of people who will wear a mask is sadly much lower than that.

Solutions at WR

With the endless carousel of injuries at WR that we seem to sustain every year, I decided to look at some potential fits short term, to alleviate any depth concerns, and long term.

Demaryius Thomas: First Sanders, now Thomas? In all seriousness, Thomas is old and approaching the end of his career, but is still a vertical threat who can play physical and go up and get it. Thomas surprisingly had 433 yards and a TD last season on the Jets, while only starting 10 games! That’s pretty good for a 32 year old, and Thomas would bring some great hands, and a good veteran presence as well.
Josh Gordon: The most talented player here, Gordon when healthy would probably be able to start on the Niners, and he is still only 29. Issue is: He has massive off-field issues, although he is not a bad person. This is an addiction issue with Gordon and with the new CBA, if Gordon can get off the commissioners list, he could benefit personally and professionally from a stint with the Niners. Gordon stayed out of trouble up until December of last year, after he relapsed over his brother’s tragic death.
Corey Davis: If the Niners could somehow get their hands on Davis from the Titans, it could pay massive dividends. Davis has not fulfilled expectations, but just 2 years ago he had 900 yards and 4 TDs. AJ Brown arriving in Tennessee spelled doom for Davis, but Davis is still extremely talented, at 6 foot 3 inches with great speed, blocking, and YAC ability. If Shanahan could unlock some of what Davis has to offer, he would be a great short-term fit at WR.
Taylor Gabriel: Experience with Shanahan? Check. Experience being versatile and playing in the slot? Check. Fast and gets separation? Check. He fits every type for Shanahan. The real question is: Why has Gabriel not already been signed? JJ Nelson over Gabriel?

That wraps it up for Day 7 of Training Camp. Big days from players that have a lot to prove, and a much needed off-day tomorrow for the Niners, especially in these dangerous conditions both with COVID-19 and with wildfire season. Stay safe everyone.

Leave a like and comment to support us if you like the article and our content, or if you have criticism, or simply for discussion. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of an in-depth look into Jimmy Garoppolo, where we look at what his issues were last season.

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