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Brock Purdy on 49ers-Chargers joint practice: ‘Don’t think it was our best day’

San Francisco Chronicle · Noah Furtado; Staff Writer · 2026-08-19T00:25:59+00:00 · nguồn gốc

EL SEGUNDO — Tuesday was a beautiful day for football in Los Angeles County. A coastal breeze put a bow on sunny 70-degree weather. Brock Purdy looked in his element. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback completed seven of his first nine passes in the opening 11-on-11 team period. This included a number of rhythm throws on which his timing was excellent. Mike Evans, Demarcus Robinson and the two backup tight ends, Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell, were in on the action, along with a few standard running back checkdowns. Shanahan said he preferred how the offense looked early. Purdy by the end of the Chargers joint practice was lukewarm on his team’s performance. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “Honestly, I don’t think it was our best day,” Purdy said. “Feel like fundamentals and stuff were just a little off and whatnot. … Just feel like we could have came out with a little bit more chip on our shoulder offensively.” The session ended as most do, with a two-minute drill, where Purdy and company marched to the red zone but no farther. Completions to Deebo Samuel, Jordan Watkins and De’Zhaun Stribling set up the 49ers for four shots at the end zone. Purdy tried Samuel at the back pylon, Robinson and then Stribling near the front pylon, followed by a fourth-down jump ball to Watkins in a crowd of powder blue Chargers jerseys. Watkins was hit hard by Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley and appeared a bit shaken up as he labored to the sideline. “I liked it a little more at first, and then didn’t like it as much later,” Shanahan said of his offense. “I thought we struggled a little bit in the move-the-ball periods. Didn’t score in the two-minute (drill). So there were some ups and downs, but I didn’t really like how we finished today.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad The absence of Mike Evans, an All-Pro wideout who at 6-foot-5 has been among the best red-zone targets in the NFL, did not help. Evans entered Tuesday as a full participant but by the latter stages took his pads off and watched the rest of the practice from the sideline, with ice wraps on his left quad and left ankle. Shanahan cited “tightness” again. Evans had missed five practices during training camp due to a quad strain. “They just said he had some tightness, so we were just being smart taking him out,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think it’s anything worse. We’ll see when we get in there, but nothing that I’m worried about right now.” • Rookie running back Kaelon Black returned to practice for the first time since Aug. 1. He ran with intensity in between the tackles and broke big runs. Black, a third-round draft pick, is a top candidate to be Christian McCaffrey’s backup this season. Jordan James would also be in the mix but has been out for an extended period with broken ribs. Shanahan said Black would “most likely” make his preseason debut Thursday. Advertisement Article continues below this ad • Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (undisclosed) and defensive end Keion White (adductor) also suited up. Robinson missed the previous practice. White, who last participated on Aug. 1, took off his pads about an hour into the session as he eases back in. • Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa was a bright spot for a 49ers defense that had its low moments across from two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert, who torched the secondary for a number of big plays and also proved clinical during the goal-to-go portion. Odighizuwa has perhaps been the most reliable pass rusher for the Niners sans All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa. “Osa is a baller, one of the more slept-on guys in the league,” Purdy said. “I’m extremely excited that we have him, and every single play he’s almost going to sack me, it feels like.” • Chargers running back Omarion Hampton, a 2025 first-round draft pick listed at 6-foot and 220 pounds, trucked a couple of 49ers defenders. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown, on the receiving end of one of those carries, came back several plays later with a firm pop that saw Hampton stumble out of bounds. Some shoving and jawing ensued between the two. That was the extent of any joint practice run-ins, an improvement from the fight-infested joint practice with the Titans. “Their head coach had more discipline than Tennessee’s,” Shanahan joked of Titans head coach Robert Saleh, his former defensive coordinator. • Linebacker Nick Martin had himself a highlight play, running through the chest of a Chargers run blocker to then hit-stick Chargers reserve running back Kimani Vidal. The collision was loud. • Stribling continued to impress with a pair of touchdowns during the red-zone period. Shanahan acknowledged those plays, and like clockwork, referenced others in which the rookie could have been better. “I love how he handles himself,” said Shanahan, who has a reputation for being particularly tough on young receivers. “He stays humble and he takes coaching really well. Never seems to take anything personally. He’s been a real fun guy to coach so far.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad • Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said his starters will play at least a series on Thursday. Shanahan said, unlike last week, some of his starters will play as well. Asked whether Purdy would be among those suited up, Shanahan added: “I haven’t told him yet. There’s a good chance.” Injury updates: Bosa is “making a lot of progress” and dealing with “a lot less irritation” related to the tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee, according to Shanahan, who suggested Bosa (ACL/tendinitis) and McCaffrey (tightness) are on a similar timetable. Defensive end Mykel Williams (ACL), the presumptive starter opposite Bosa when healthy, is considered a “long shot” for Week 1, Shanahan added.