The 49ers are wrapping up their second week of training camp, and there have been some notable storylines over this opening period.
The San Francisco 49ers have had their share of both good and bad stories over the first two weeks of training camp.
Among the worst, of course, has been the injuries. This is highlighted by yet another season-ending injury to second-year wide receiver Jalen Hurd, who tore his ACL earlier in camp and will now put off his regular-season debut until 2021 at the earliest. It’s a tough break for a player hyped up a lot over the last year-plus.
Yet injuries are common, especially amid a pandemic that eliminated players’ abilities to better acclimate themselves to the rigors of the NFL.
Thankfully, however, there are more than a few positive takeaways from the opening weeks of training camp. Typically, offenses start off much slower than defenses, particularly when they’re operating as complex a scheme as the one run by head coach Kyle Shanahan. But based off multiple reports, San Francisco’s offense is getting its own during practices, too, and there have been more than a few standouts.
Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is looking far more polished than one might expect from a first-year player, and that’s good. And the 49ers defensive line is looking as potent as ever.
These are the expected levels of a Super Bowl contender, though. To be truly exceptional, there have to be standout performances exceeding expectations.
Thankfully, the Niners have a number of those as well.
As far as the best storylines go, let’s take a look at three that have been particularly fun to follow as San Francisco gears up to defend its NFC crown and get back to the Super Bowl.