49ers-chargers Joint Practice Roundup: The Secondary Had A Rough Outing

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers held a joint practice on Tuesday. Kyle Shanahan provided the injury updates. Let’s get right into the action.

Defensive struggles for the 49ers’ secondary

It does not sound like the defensive backs enjoyed the success during the joint practice:

A Chargers account is tweeting multiple clips. Like we did last week with the Titans, we’ll use the opponents’ perspective.

On this play, defensive tackle Alfred Collins makes a tackle for loss:

On this play, Jaden Dugger gets blocked to the ground. However, his job is to ensure the running back doesn’t get outside of him. That doesn’t happen, which allows Dre Greenlaw to scrape through the trash and make a tackle near the line of scrimmage:

Here’s Deommodore Lenoir allowing an easy reception for a first down:

Lenoir also got “mossed” for a touchdown:

Osa Odighizuwa would’ve annihilated Justin Herbert on this play, so the long touchdown would’ve never happened. Sounds like Odighizuwa had himself a day:

ESPN’s Kris Rhim had Odighizuwa with four pressures, the most of any defender. He also said a lot of the perceived big plays would have either been sacks or looked different in a live setting.

Rhim said, “Odighizuwa was a problem throughout practice.” Ogbo Okoronkwo and James Thompson Jr. also generated multiple pressures, per Rhim.

Here’s an example of a big play on social media that doesn’t stand a chance if you’re allowed to hit the quarterback. Romello Height had a sack. This touchdown never happens in a real game:

It’s still not a great sign seeing Lenoir getting beaten deep and Ji’Ayir Brown being late to see a deep post route when that was his only vertical threat:

That’s rookie wide receiver Brennan Thompson, who ran a 4.26 40-yard dash.

This play is a mess:

Marques Sigle is the deep safety. He takes himself out of the post (middle of the field) for a route that’s being defended, despite a deep crossing route coming his way. Lenoir, who was guarding David Njouku, falls off the route and picks up a crosser from the other side, who Renardo Green is guarding. Two players are wrong, and that’s how you get a coverage bust.

Here’s more miscommunication. Either safety Ji’Ayir Brown is late and needs to recognize the running back sooner, or Green must fall off his receiver and pick up the back:

More often than not, in these quarters coverages, the cornerback is going to defend the No. 1 wide receiver 1-on-1, provided he doesn’t run a route under five yards.

You’d like to see Sigle get over to the tight end quicker and either break the pass up or intercept it:

If the 49ers are going to have a chance this season, Sigle is going to have to process what’s happening faster than that.

I’m more interested in the personnel groupings than the result of this play. For example, on this red zone play, Jack Jones is in at corner instead of Renardo Green (who left after friendly fire with Fred Warner) and Larry Worth III is the third linebacker:

Worth had a beat on the throw, but he lacked the spatial awareness of where he was in relation to the wideout. That should have been an interception.

That would not be the only touchdown Jones surrendered:

Speaking of safeties, here is Brown getting run over by Omarion Hampton:

If you leave your feet to tackle, bad things are going to happen. Hampton also reportedly ran over Dugger.

It wouldn’t be a practice without Fred Warner punching a ball out:

What an incredible skill that is.

The 49ers supposedly had the upper hand during the two-minute drill, and as the move-the-ball periods progressed.

Offense

Kaelon Black was reportedly active early on, as the 49ers are wasting no time throwing him into the mix:

Black is no stranger to big runs either. He finished fourth in the country last season in the percentage of plays that resulted in an EPA of greater than +1.0 — an indication of highly successful, explosive plays for the offense.

As we know, that was a struggle for the 49ers’ offense last season. The offense finished 21st in 10+ yard runs.

Barrows tweeted a clip of one of Black’s gains, and it was probably a 3-yarder:

Here is one of those “layer king” throws from Brock Purdy:

The bigger takeaway is that Carver Willis is getting a shot at left guard, while Robert Jones is playing right guard with Dominick Puni (concussion) out.

Blocks like these are why Jones may no longer be locked in as the starter for left guard:

Shanahan said, “It’s still a competition. No one has really completely made it easy on us yet. I still think we’ve got a lot more time to go. Not a ton, but enough for guys can step up and do it. I think Carver missing that time made him a little bit behind the 8-ball on it, but it’s good that he’s gotten a full week in. Hopefully, he has no setbacks so we can make that opinion here in two weeks.”

De’Zhaun Stribling scored in the red zone:

If he can catch these fade routes, the red zone offense will be difficult to stop:

Here’s Deebo slipping on a slot fade:

Shanahan said he liked how the offense performed at first, but not so much later on: “I thought we struggled a little bit in the move the ball periods. Didn’t score in two-minute. There were some ups and downs. I didn’t really like how we finished the day.”

Brock Purdy said, “Honestly, I don’t think it was our best day. I just feel like we could have come out with a little more chip on our shoulder.”

The Chargers prevented the 49ers’ first- and second-team offenses from scoring during the two-minute drills, per Chargers dot com:

The Chargers held a 4-point lead with 80 seconds left.

Brock Purdy was under center for the 49ers against the Chargers top defense, who were without cornerbacks Tarheeb Still and Donte Jackson.

Purdy completed his first pass before his second was broken up over the middle by Nikko Reed. After a 10-yard run, Deane Leonard followed it up with a pass breakup of his own.

The 49ers then completed back-to-back passes to get into the red zone before the Chargers defense buckled down as they denied four straight passes intended for the end zone.

Rookie undrafted free agent Avery Smith nearly had an interception after fellow UDFA cornerback Rodney Shelley deflected Purdy’s throw.

On fourth down, Purdy scrambled left and looked for Demarcus Robinson in the end zone, but Daiyan Henley got there right on time to break up the pass and get the turnover on downs.

Mac Jones led the next 49ers group and moved the offense down to the 32-yard line with 10 ticks left.

But the Bolts defense secured the win as they forced back-to-back incompletions, the final one being a Hail Mary out of the back of the end zone as time expired.

We’ll see how the 49ers punch back Thursday night.