Five bright spots from 49ers training camp inspire optimism amid glut of injuries

Injuries have dominated the news cycle from San Francisco 49ers training camp, but eight practices in, quarterback Brock Purdy has still made his backups look good. 

And against an empowered secondary. Defensive players have raved about Raheem Morris and the fresh scheme he’s installing. Early returns have been positive enough for former coordinator Robert Saleh to catch some strays.

An early glance at the rookies includes one who has been easy to notice of late, too. Here are five standouts from the early going:

Another training camp marked by missed time has not put Purdy behind schedule, with Ricky Pearsall out for the year, Mike Evans and Christian Kirk on the mend and promising rookie De’Zhaun Stribling not available.

So Purdy used KhaDarel Hodge and Malik Turner, practice-squad players at best, to beat the defense vertically and made Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins look like starters at different points. Deebo Samuel was back in the fold this week, which helped. But even backup tight ends Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell have made plays for Purdy with George Kittle as an onlooker. On one pass, Purdy hit Tonges in the chest with a layered pass with just enough touch to clear the outstretched arm of one Fred Warner.

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris called Purdy the “layer king” after practice Thursday. 

Monday was probably the bumpiest showing for the first-team offense. Purdy has missed a few throws since then and not overly relied on checkdowns, challenging what has proven to be an increasingly testy secondary this camp.

Take your pick. Deommodore Lenoir. Renardo Green. Upton Stout. Jack Jones. Heck, even fifth-round rookie Ephesians Prysock has started to flash some of his potential. A number of players on offense and defense are buzzing about this group.

Lenoir, Green, Stout – they’ve all talked about Morris’ directive to play free. But what does that actually mean?

The phrase “sticky coverage” has been referenced to describe the match-coverage principles Morris is partial to. Match coverage allows zone defenders to lock onto a receiver if a specific route is run.

Purdy said the techniques seen from the team’s defensive backs is a “whole other thing” compared to previous years. Lenoir, Green and Stout have been nuisances at the catch point. Jones in his own ball-hawking way has done the same, snagging several interceptions. Prysock is raw but can be disruptive with his long reach and has gained confidence with more reps. Passes are being challenged more regularly.

“A lot more match coverage, so the throws are a lot more contested,” backup quarterback Mac Jones said. “I’d say that some teams in the league play that way but a lot of teams don’t now.”

The Titans think highly of Saleh. They hired him as their head coach after the 49ers’ battered defense remained respectable last year. Yet the two-time head coach has been taking jabs from a few ex-players this summer. Green hailed Morris’ defense while suggesting Saleh’s scheme was too complex. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown was less subtle in praising Morris.

“Raheem’s dope,” Brown said. “He wants football players. Previous schemes we’ve been in haven’t wanted that. Raheem wants you to play football. He wants instinct with players. He wants players who can get out there and play ball and read the quarterback.”

Brown, who was benched to start 2025, might have an ax to grind. And it’s safe to say Saleh “wants football players.” But the comments, fair or not, reflect an excitement about Morris, another two-time NFL head coach who has brought a new scheme and different energy.

“Saleh’s pretty chill,” Jones said. “He would just stand back there (in practice) and look all strong and stuff. And then Raheem — maybe not as strong looking — but definitely a louder voice.”

The 49ers had run a 4-3 defense heavy on zone coverage and not overly reliant on blitzes since 2017. It was largely successful partly because of a pass rush that was often disruptive. With the pass rush a question mark, Morris’ scheme, which includes five-man fronts and pre-snap shifting, could suit the 2026 personnel better.

At this point, we can say with certainty the new guy is popular.

Rookies tend to err on the quieter side. Defensive tackle Gracen Halton has only been in pads for the last couple of days, returning from a knee bone bruise that sidelined him for five practices. Loud and proud is more his style.

The 49ers drafted Halton, listed at 6-foot-2 and 293 pounds, in the fourth round out of Oklahoma. He started his college career as a defensive end and boasts noticeable explosiveness off the snap for an interior lineman. Starting center Jake Brendel, among others, saw as much firsthand during the last couple of 1-on-1 practice periods for offensive and defensive linemen. Halton would blow by someone and let everyone know about it with a hoot on his way back.

Halton does not project as an immediate starter but could help bolster the interior pass rush that was lacking last season. He’ll still be behind Osa Odighizuwa, who recorded more pressures (52) for the Cowboys in 2025 than the combined total of since-departed starting defensive tackles Jordan Elliott and Kalia Davis (24).

“I see a young man that’s really feisty … kind of fired up, sometimes a little too fired up,” Morris said.

“Sometimes you got to tell them to kind of slow down a little bit to get with the tempo. The guy’s been going at a really high rate. Really going fast, really getting after it. He got out there and really wanted to be a part of it the last couple of days, so it’s been fun to watch him get back.”

Patrick Mahomes’ tone made it clear he understood the significance when Greenlaw suffered a torn Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII. “Hey, 57 got hurt,” the Chiefs’ QB told offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. “Fifty-seven got hurt over there.”

Greenlaw is a difference-maker. The 49ers went 44-20 when he played and 16-20 when he was sidelined during his first six seasons (2019-2024). Now, after Greenlaw spent 2025 with the Broncos, his all-over-the-place performance early in training camp has been a reminder of his influence.

Injuries have been an issue for Greenlaw, but when both he and Warner are healthy, they belong in the same conversation as Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman when it comes legendary 49ers linebacker duos. Greenlaw’s fearlessness and instincts elevate the defense. 

Greenlaw sat out practice Wednesday due to “soreness” that kept him out of team drills Thursday. Morris said it’s been nice to have Greenlaw observing practicing with him. But it will be better when he’s back causing havoc.

“Greenlaw is one of those guys that you like playing football instead of being around you,” Morris said. “But I’ll never get tired of that guy. A lot of fun.”

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This article originally published at Five bright spots from 49ers training camp inspire optimism amid glut of injuries.