4 players thriving in 49ers training camp (and 3 who are fading quickly)

The San Francisco 49ers are about to wrap up a third week of training camp, notably the final week concluding with joint practices with the Tennessee Titans ahead of both teams' preseason opener on Thursday, Aug. 13.

Injuries have dominated much of the talk surrounding Niners camp, although there's a mostly optimistic notion from the coaching staff that said injuries aren't major setbacks.

Yet injuries have opened the door for several players to get increased reps, and a number of those have thrived with the added opportunity. Others, meanwhile, not so much.

With camp beginning to wind down, let's take a look at four players who've made the most out of training camp, along with two who appear to be falling quickly by the wayside.

4 thrivers, 3 fallers in 49ers training camp (so far)

Thriving: WR De'Zhaun Stribling

Wide receiver has been hit particularly hard by camp injuries, yet that gave ample opportunity for rookie De'Zhaun Stribling to make the most of his chances.

The speedster routinely flashed his explosiveness during practice, often stretching the field and actually making plays when passes were directed his way.

More established wideouts like Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel may still wind up ahead of the Round 2 draftee on the initial depth chart, but Stribling is quickly justifying San Francisco's early investment in him.

Fading: WR Jordan Watkins

Injuries largely got in the way of then-rookie receiver Jordan Watkins a season ago, yet there was hope he'd finally blossom in year two. Especially with shortages at the position.

But, as The Athletic's Matt Barrows pointed out, that hasn't been the case:

There are two guys that get a lot of passes thrown their way. One is Stribling and the other is Jordan Watkins. The difference has been that Stribling has been able to haul in those tough passes across the middle... There’s an arm in there, and you gotta bring that ball in, and Watkins hasn’t been able to do so.

The back end of the receiver room is awfully crowded, and Watkins might soon find himself iced out by depth options like Jacob Cowing, Christian Kirk and Demarcus Robinson.

Thriving: QB Brock Purdy

It's always nice to hype a franchise quarterback, especially someone like Brock Purdy, who's no stranger to critique.

Some, like the usually critical Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated, have gone as far as saying 2026 is shaping up to be Purdy's best camp yet.

Purdy has been making tough throws while cutting down on interceptions—all this despite not having his best pass-catching options available, including Evans, tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey.

Fading: OL Connor Colby

The 49ers originally named second-year pro Connor Colby as their first-string left guard, yet he's since been demoted in favor of the veteran offseason free-agent pickup, Robert Jones. And now, rookie Carver Willis is in the mix despite coming back late after a camp concussion.

Colby, who saw some interim starts after the Niners drafted him in Round 7 a year ago, lost that gig, too, and it's becoming clear he's no more than a fringe backup the coaches would prefer not to rely upon.

Depending on how far he plunges down the depth chart behind names like Jones and Willis, it might not be much of a shock if Colby fails to make the 53-man roster altogether.

Thriving: WR Demarcus Robinson

Entering camp, there were thoughts Robinson might simply be the victim of the numbers game at receiver, thanks to the additions of Kirk, Evans and Stribling, and also in light of the fact Robinson only truly produced once last season: a big output during the Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Yet Robinson has been a consistent presence in camp, and he's making plays while earning recognition, as Cohn pointed out:

He's not particularly fast, but he's big and tough and dependable, similar to Jauan Jennings. Robinson is fearless over the middle, he has a big catch radius and he's at his best in the end zone where he made two catches today. Theoretically, Mike Evans can do all these things even better, but he has been injured for most of camp, while Robinson hasn't missed a day.

Simply put, Robinson is making it impossible for the Niners to leave him off their final roster.

Fading: OL Enrique Cruz Jr.

When San Francisco selected Kansas offensive tackle Enrique Cruz Jr. in Round 5 last April, it knew he'd require a lot of polish to fully round out a physically impressive skill set.

Perhaps the 49ers are still banking on that long-term development, but in the interim, it hasn't been a pretty camp for the rookie. Frequently beat on both one-on-one and team drills, left tackle Trent Williams even had to get involved and took Cruz aside to personally coach him up on one occasion.

To quote ESPN's Nick Wagoner, "it's been a rough camp" for Cruz thus far, and the Niners may not have roster room to remain patient.

Thriving: CB Jack Jones

Veteran cornerback Jack Jones was seemingly brought it to serve as competition for the embattled Renardo Green, but one might make the argument the defense could be more potent if the former was entrenched as a starter alongside Deommodore Lenoir.

Jones seemingly records an interception at every practice, which is something Green hasn't been able to do over his first two seasons.

The lack of turnovers was a problem last season, but Jones is beginning to emerge as an unforeseen solution.

Perhaps San Francisco would be better off starting Jones over Green right out of the gate.

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