3 Takeaways from the First Day of Practice at 49ers Training Camp

San Francisco 49ers training camp is upon us as the Bay Area squad hit the practice field for the first time Wednesday morning.

The Red & Gold practiced in front of the sold-out stands of faithful, sporting only practice jerseys and helmets before putting the pads on starting Monday, Aug. 1. The biggest storyline of the offseason has been the change in QB1 as second-year phenom Trey Lance takes over the reins for veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo, who did make an appearance at the facilities for the second day in a row.

An update on the quarterback situation and much more as we take a look at a few takeaways from Day 1 of 49ers practice.

Jimmy Garoppolo is in the building, But Not With The Team

As previously mentioned, number ten reported to the 49ers facility Wednesday after not being placed on the PUP list this week.

Garoppolo has been rehabbing from shoulder surgery in March as his camp and the 49ers have agreed to excuse him from taking part in any on-the-field activities over the offseason.

Training camp has been no different as Jimmy showed up early to take part in his throwing program and was excused after that. The interesting part is that the QB stuck around in the weight room as he interacted with teammates, according to The Mercury News’ Cam Inman.

The front office has remained steadfast on trading the veteran as the other alternative would be cutting him and his almost $27 million cap hit before week 1 of the regular season.

“We don’t plan on practicing him with the team,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. “We’ll take it day-by-day and constantly talk with him and hopefully can figure out the best for both…[You] can’t just give one of the better quarterbacks in the league just to make him available for no reason to the whole world.”

On the practice field, Lance took over as the starting quarterback. This is no surprise after Shanahan declared Tuesday that “This is Trey’s team” moving forward.

Full highlights from Trey Lance’s first day of training camp 🎯 pic.twitter.com/KF9Dd7UgpR

— KNBR (@KNBR) July 27, 2022

The North Dakota State product looked sharp on the first day, according to sources, completing 9 of 11 pass attempts during 7-on-7s and various drills. The first day is typically the introduction to the playbook as Lance’s x-factor abilities were not on display, instead opting for the underneath throws on multiple occasions.

This may have been by design as Lance and QB coach Brian Griese work to improve the raw prospect’s composure in the pocket, looking to unlock his full potential sooner rather than later.

Deebo Samuel’s “Hold-In”

The other saga the 49ers faced this offseason seems to be coming to an end after All-Pro wideout Deebo Samuel official reported to camp Tuesday.

The notion of an impending contract extension was heightened Wednesday when he made an appearance on the practice field, opting to do conditioning work on the side as talks continue.

Shanahan gave an update on negotiations before practice Wednesday, indicating that the front office and Samuel’s agent have been in constant communication over the summer.

“Hopefully we can figure something out soon, but we’re in a good place today,” Shanahan said.

Deebo Samuel working on the side at 49ers camp pic.twitter.com/MqIKpfEo6B

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) July 27, 2022

That statement rang true as Deebo was seen conversing with teammates and coaches throughout the day, according to sources.

I’m standing 15 ft away from Deebo Samuel and Trey Lance just came up behind him and gave him a hug

The boys are locked in

— Brad (@Graham_SFN) July 27, 2022

The All-Pro offensive weapon has been on the fence with the 49ers since requesting a trade from the team in April, looking to make north of $25 million APY.

Yes, Samuel has started his “hold-in” so the Faithful shouldn’t get excited just yet, but the writing seems to be on the wall that a deal will be done shortly.

Musical Chairs on the Offensive Line

Shanahan made it known Tuesday that the offensive line would go through multiple iterations during training camp and that’s exactly what happened the first day on the field.

Day 1 saw Colton McKivitz, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford and Jaylon Moore be the first five starting on the O-line in training camp. Veteran Daniel Brunskill also took reps as the starting center but was mainly with the second team to open camp.

The team was also missing a few familiar faces in the trenches as All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams was excused today due to a family matter, and right tackle Mike McGlinchey is still ramping up after suffering a torn Quadricep in 2021. The latter was on the field but stuck to individual drills on the first day of camp.

McGlinchey putting in work 😤 pic.twitter.com/lI9xRfGglV

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) July 27, 2022

Another point of emphasis was the insertion of the rookie right guard, Spencer Burford, getting all the first team reps in practice Wednesday. That position was mainly held down by Brunskill in 2021 but Shanahan did say we’d see some shuffling early on in camp as the team looks to grow their roster from within.

49ers just wrapped up training camp Day 1. No Trent Williams. He got an excused absence for a family matter. Colton McKivitz filled in. A slimmer-than-last-year Mike McGlinchey played RT early on, but team held him back from a session.

— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) July 27, 2022

After losing Laken Tomlinson in free agency and Alex Mack to retirement over the offseason, the Bay Area franchise has some big holes to fill in Lance’s rookie season as QB1. Protecting your young signal-caller should be the priority for the front office as they may look to the free agent market once again to improve their roster.

But it’s still too early in camp to tell as the reports have been positive thus far.

For all things 49ers and NFL, stay locked in here on Sactown Sports.

Follow @AmilianoFragoso

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