49ers training camp: 3 units impressing the most
By Robert Smith
Niner Noise takes a look at three 49ers position units that have been impressive so far during training camp.
Football is back! The San Francisco 49ers kicked off their pandemic-revised 2020 training camp last week, and there are plenty of storylines to evaluate.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff are in the early stages of evaluating players for the final 53-man roster. With a team returning the vast majority of its players from a Super Bowl contender, and with a limited offseason schedule due to the pandemic, available roster spots may be few and far between.
As with any contact sport, injuries play a huge part in opportunities for players to secure or lose roster spots. For San Francisco, injuries will provide chances (or second chances) for players to step up and battle for those available slots. For better or worse, there have already been a number of injuries Shanahan and his staff have had to deal with, although this has given other players on the roster additional looks and better chances. It’s also forced the team to onboard some additional veterans who, at least in the immediate future, have a chance to showcase their skills during camp.
With the practice limitations and a shortened offseason schedule, notably without spring workouts and the four-game preseason, daily positional battle highlights and lowlights will weigh heavily into the final 53-man roster, which Shanahan and Co. will eventually decide shortly before the team’s Week 1 opener against the Arizona Cardinals in September.
Even in the early stages of training camp, certain units on the team have performed above expectations thus far.
Niner Noise takes a look at three such units that have been impressive during the first period of the 49ers’ 2020 training camp.