The San Francisco 49ers had several of their veteran players sit out of their final open practice of the week, so the next time the Faithful will get to catch their favorite players out on the field will be on Monday. Another soccer match, Chivas Guadalajara vs. San Jose Earthquakes, is headed to Levi's® Stadium on Saturday, meaning tomorrow's workout will be closed to fans, and players will be off on Sunday. The red and gold are still in their first block of training camp practices and are not expected to put the pads on until the coming week.
Training Camp Notebook
- Players who appeared to be taking a veteran rest day included defensive lineman Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle, cornerback Charvarius Ward, running back Christian McCaffrey, offensive lineman Jake Brendel and defensive lineman Maliek Collins. Several other players sat out of practice, however, reasons for their non-participation were not announced.
- Cornerback Isaac Yiadom opened up team drills by breaking up a pass intended for wideout Deebo Samuel Sr.
- Similar to Thursday's practice, we saw several new offensive line groupings. Part of the reason for these new lineups is likely due to players sitting out of practice on Friday. Nick Zakelj and Ben Bartch both got time at center with the while Dominick Puni took reps at right guard.
- Second-year safety Ji'Ayir Brown got his hands on a pass intended for Samuel Sr.
- Linebacker Fred Warner forced a fumble and Yiadom recovered the loose ball.
- Special teams did their first kickoff return work of training camp and had returners working in pairs. Players working in at kick returner included Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Ronnie Bell, Kyle Juszczyk, Trent Taylor, Patrick Taylor Jr., Terique Owens, Cody Schrader, Danny Gray and Samuel Sr.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward Talks Core Muscle Surgery Recovery and 2024 Mindset
Ward was one of two 49ers players undergoing core muscle surgery following the 49ers Super Bowl LVIII appearance. He returns to Santa Clara healthy but also taking a conservative approach to his practice workload. The seventh-year pro enjoyed a rest day after participating in both individual and team drills the first two days of camp.
"I felt good a couple months after (the core muscle surgery), but right now, doing the football movements again, it feels kind of weird," Ward said. "It's not hurting or anything like that, but my body feels kind of brand new to me. The doctor went in there and repaired a bunch of those soft tissue muscles. It feels different right now, and I'm getting accustomed to it."
Like Kittle, Ward's core muscle injury was a lingering issue, and according to Ward, dates back to his days with the Kansas City Chiefs. In spite of his injury, the veteran corner put together the best statistical year of his career in 2023 that included a career-high in interceptions (five), leading the league in pass breakups (23) and a Second-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. As he prepares to enter his third season with the 49ers, his sights are set even higher.
"I would say my (offseason) focus was trying to correct my weaknesses from last year," Ward said. "I was working on getting in and out of my breaks a little quicker and finishing a little bit better on those PBUs. I obviously caught more interceptions than I ever have in my career last year, but I'm trying to catch some more next year."
