There were noticeably fewer howls of "tempo, tempo!" during San Francisco 49ers practice on Friday afternoon.

Jim Tomsula's usual orders to his team to speed things up were replaced by a more tempered pace, as the team introduced scout-team play cards to practice those mechanics for this first time in 2015.

That provided the central theme for the team's final practice before taking on the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. The first-team offense lined up against the scout-team defense, and vice versa.

Other significant developments from Friday's abbreviated training session included Joe Staley and Eli Harold returning to the field after sitting out on Thursday. 

7 More Observations:

• Chuck Jacobs, an under-the-radar, second-year wideout out of Utah State, delivered the play of the day when he dived to make full-extension catch in the end zone during 7-on-7 drills. Rookie quarterback Dylan Thompson's throw had a nice arch, allowing Jacobs to make a play on the ball just a few snaps after the pair narrowly missed connecting for another deep touchdown.

• DiAndre Campbell and Marcus Cromartie had a couple good battles against one another, each coming away with a victory. Campbell batted away a potential Cromartie interception at the last minute, but Cromartie got even a few plays later when he deflected a deep pass in the end zone to prevent a Campbell touchdown.

• Nick Bellore, activated earlier this week after an illness sidelined him for two weeks of camp, looked more than comfortable playing against the run at inside linebacker. He twice filled a hole created by good blocks from the offensive line.

• Mike Purcell continued to impress, as the nose tackle batted down a Blaine Gabbert pass intended for an open tight end in the middle of the defense.

• Jarryd Hayne hauled in a 25-yard catch down the sideline on a perfectly-thrown pass from Thompson, who split two defenders in tight coverage.

• Vernon Davis showed off his speed once again, sprinting downfield to grab a deep ball from Colin Kaepernick. The duo doesn't appear to be lacking any chemistry.  

• Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin turned in productive days as well, both displaying strong hands and tight footwork in tallying several catches on intermediate passes.