Tight end Jake Tonges, a former tech bro, on ‘full-circle moment’ after $8 million contract with 49ers (paywall)
“The 49ers run a lot of 22-personnel formations, or in other words, sets with two tight ends. On paper, Tonges is a prototypical receiving tight end and Farrell is known for his blocking.
First-year tight ends coach Cam Clemmons has tried to help them out of those boxes. Clemmons, previously an assistant offensive line coach for the 49ers, has been especially helpful to Tonges.
“That’s been my challenge to him, is, Jake, your ceiling isn’t last year,” Clemmons said. “Last year was just kind of the beginning.”
Key 49ers position battle remains undecided heading into preseason Week 2
“Wide receiver Jacob Cowing had a couple of hard falls during practice, the second of which resulted in a diving reception on a deep pass from Purdy.
Cowing had a couple of steps on cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, and he laid out to catch the 45-yard downfield throw.
Earlier, Cowing and Marques Sigle took hard spills after they both went up for a Purdy pass along the left side of the field.“
49ers’ George Kittle eyes return to practice, opener in Australia
“For most of the process, Kittle said he has had to focus on doing as many seated and standing calf raises as possible every day. His workouts, however, have taken on a more football-specific approach of late.
As the Niners practiced last week, Kittle was running and cutting at nearly full speed while running routes and catching passes from a team staffer on a side field. On Sunday, Kittle said he’s hitting the speed benchmarks set for him on the GPS and is “pretty close” to hitting the same speed numbers he hit before the injury.
Kittle said he has a target date in mind for returning to practice but declined to share it. He added that he’s “very confident” he won’t start the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he intends to be back within the season’s first four games.“
49ers OC Klay Kubiak shares updates on Rourke, Stribling, Evans, Kittle, and Purdy
“”There’s a time and a place, but you want the mindset to drive the football, and Brock has both tools, and Brock is exceptional at whatever layering it is. Throwing it over, zoning defenders, finding holes in the defense, he’s exceptional at that. But you want the mindset as a quarterback, ‘I’m driving the football.’ We remind him of that, and he has both tools. So, I think the nickname’s funny, I appreciate it, but it’s cool that Brock kind of takes it personally, too, and says, ‘No, I’m going to drive the ball. I’m not going to layer things.’ But you got to have both tools in your bag. So, it’s kind of a funny deal between him and Raheem.”
The Good and Not So Good from Day 13 of 49ers Camp: Mike Evans Dominates (Finally)
“He still doesn’t create a ton of separation against man coverage, but neither does Evans. Both receivers are excellent at catching passes over the heads of defensive backs. And Stribling in particular is fearless when it comes to running full speed across the field. It looks like he’s being groomed to start this season, considering he’s not playing any special teams. As opposed to Deebo Samuel, who’s a punt returner and a kick returner. And when he plays with the starters, he mostly is a running back.”
49ers 53-man roster projection (paywall)
“The 49ers probably have to keep five, and if we’re talking about the best 53, all seven of these players should make the team.
James Thompson Jr. has an abundance of untapped upside, but he’s not polished. Valdez has certainly done enough to earn a spot, but he’s not consistent. Eason, meanwhile, is an imperious force who can hold up against double teams. He’s a Day 1 NFL-caliber player. Everyone else is a no-brainer.“
George Kittle expects to return to the 49ers ‘sooner than later’
“I’ve been running around a lot. Hitting top speeds. Hopefully, we’re back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass is what I would say.
Kittle said he spoke with Richard Sherman about the rehab process of an Achilles injury. He said building a strong foundation after the next eight weeks is the most important part: “If you build a strong foundation, get your calf muscle back, get your strength back, then you’re allowed to train faster and get your body ready to go faster. So, we dominated those 8 weeks. Had a really good rehab.”
Kittle mentioned how a Week 1 target date made it easy to light a fire under him. He said he was doing seated calf raises within ten minutes of taking his cast off.
Kittle said he’s hitting the numbers that he needs to hit as far as the GPS times and markers go. Kittle understands that he needs to practice before he plays: “I don’t want my first time in pads traveling to Australia. I don’t think that’d be a very smart idea. These next couple of weeks are everything. That’ll let me know whether I’m able to play Week 1 or not.”