49ers camp: Brock Purdy overcomes getting rolled up in backfield

SANTA CLARA Tuesday s practice seemed ho-hum enough at ers training camp And then Brock Purdy hit the deck in the backfield Purdy shook off the scary play in which he and specifically his right ankle got rolled into by defensive tackle Jordan Elliott who tumbled into the pocket as Isaac Guerendo ran with the ball toward the left edge Purdy was straightaway helped up onto his feet by Elliott and a concerned Nick Bosa That scene unfolded in the background while other players continued downfield and there was no stoppage of play as Purdy went about his business I was just like Brock you good after the play center Jake Brendel commented That one play reflected the defense s aggressive up-field approach as Brendel essentially let Elliott surge past him up the middle as the ball was already on its way elsewhere with Guerendo These are just the things that come with our defensive scheme and techniques Brendel explained They re very very coiled as a defensive line Right at the snap they ll unleash as much strength and power as they can vertically to try to get that push We had an outside zone run play called and it was never going to be touched by a guy in the A gap so I kind of let Elliott do his thing After Purdy s next pass got broken up by Darrell Luter Jr the million quarterback stepped up in the pocket behind left tackle Trent Williams and unleashed a deep pass Rookie Jordan Watkins filling in with the first-string unit in place of Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall raced down the spine of the field to track down that pass beyond Luter s coverage for a would-be -yard touchdown Purdy finished out practice and did not seek aid from a trainer though he did appear to test his ankle while throwing on the side at one point Purdy s final pass resulted in a -yard touchdown lob to Russell Gage in a red zone drill Purdy was -of- after the accidental contact by Elliott and -of- overall with an interception that being snagged by linebacker Luke Gifford after Purdy got pressured on a bootleg by Sam Okuayinonu Purdy who missed Friday s practice while attending the birth of his daughter opened Tuesday s -on- session with a completion to a wide-open George Kittle Mac Jones was -of- as the second-string quarterback and Tanner Mordecai was -of- with Corey Kiner fumbling Mordecai s final completion and Tre Avery recovering to end the -minute session NO WILLIAMS PEARSALL LENOIR Defensive end Mykel Williams missed his first practice of his debut camp with an ankle injury that is considered minor according to a club spokesman Pearsall rested after practicing the past two days and coming off the Physically Unable to Perform list Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and running back Jordan James were not present for unknown reasons Still out were cornerback Renardo Green hamstring and wide receivers Jennings calf and Jacob Cowing hamstring First-team replacements saw Luter and Dallis Flowers at cornerback while Demarcus Robinson and Watkins were first-team wide receivers WIDE RECEIVER REVIEW Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak declared Watkins a fourth-round pick is conquering the mental challenge of adapting as a rookie Mentally he did a good job in OTAs coming back and he s starting to stack days stack the mental that s the strain on a rookie Kubiak declared before practice Not only your body but the mental strain Being here every day and being on it He has shown he can handle the mental load and do a good job He just necessities to keep getting better and show up to practice and get after it Kubiak had similar words about Pearsall last year s first-round pick who s been hindered by wellbeing issues the past year Ricky s a really sharp guy He learns really swiftly That hasn t been much of an issue for him Kubiak announced He s just got to keep getting his body in shape He s missed specific time and Ricky s got to show up every day just keep getting in shape get his legs back like the rest of these guys and get to the point in the preseason where they just keep stacking days to get ready for Week ONE-ON-ONE HIGHLIGHTS Right tackle Colton McKivitz rebounded from an opening duel with Nick Bosa to anchor against him in their encore matchup Among the one-on-one winners in at least one matchup were Dee Winters vs Christian McCaffrey Mason Pline vs Jalen Graham Bryce Huff vs Austen Pleasants Jake Tonges vs Jaylen Mahoney and Evan Anderson vs Connor Colby EX-NINER WARD SPEAKS OUT Former ers cornerback Charvarius Ward in a characteristically candid interview with The Athletic s Mike Silver retraced his dramatic final year with the ers from a personal and professional standpoint Even before everything happened with my baby I really wasn t super motivated Ward disclosed referring to the Oct death of his -month-old daughter Because after the year I had in I required a contract extension because I demanded to stay and I knew I wasn t getting a contract offer I wasn t motivated like from OTAs all the way through camp I was kind of pissed off I knew when the season started it was a wrap for me in the Bay Ward commented the ers John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan congratulated him upon signing a three-year million with Indianapolis in free agency A year ago however Ward was upset that other stars who bypassed offseason workouts and training camp got extensions see Christian McCaffrey Brandon Aiyuk Trent Williams Ward did not begrudge fellow cornerback Deommodore Lenoir for landing one midseason They drafted him and he s younger than me They likely like Demo a little bit better Ward reported He s a little more physical and aggressive than me I can lock anybody down Kyle and John they want head-busters I mean I m not mad He got what he deserved All-Pros don t grow on trees though Related Articles ers safety Jason Pinnock finds familiarity on the opposite coast ers rookie fire hydrant C J West douses linemen with his violent hands ers quarterback Brock Purdy becomes a girl dad Purdy and Pearsall return but ers lineman carted off with neck injury Inman under-the-radar ers who are catching my eye at camp JACKSON TO IR REPLACED BY UFL STAR The ers put defensive end Tarron Jackson on season-ending Injured Reserve after Sunday s neck injury sent him to Stanford Hospital for a one-night observation Jaylon Allen formerly of the UFL replaced Jackson on the roster and debuted in practice