Five areas to watch at 49ers training camp over next month

SANTA CLARA – Time to clock in at the “power plant.”

That’s what 49ers outcast Brandon Aiyuk, amid his recent social-media rants, mockingly called the practice facility that neighbors an almighty electrical substation.

Those two storylines – Aiyuk’s bizarre estrangement since last September, and a conspiracy theory about players’ injuries linked to an electromagnetic field – should fizzle out as a new season arrives.

Training camp opens Saturday with all players due to report.

Aiyuk’s status remains an exhausting saga until he’s officially off the 49ers’ roster and seeks NFL reinstatement from the reserve/left squad list. Plus, he has an outstanding arrest warrant for a Santa Clara traffic infraction last December. As for the electrical-substation theory, it is a “nothingburger,” as general manager John Lynch explained in March after a team-issued study.

These 49ers have no time for those old distractions. They must get their bodies, minds, passports, and sleep patterns ready for the NFL’s first regular-season game in Australia, that being a Sept. 10 (5:35 p.m. PT) opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne.

Here are five aspects worth scrutinizing at camp, with practices starting on Sunday and the first padded session due a few days later:

1. HEALTH CHECK

Six months since last season ended in 41-6 fashion with a skeleton squad in Seattle, the 49ers must monitor the comebacks and workloads of so many players.

The list includes tight end George Kittle (Achilles); defensive linemen Nick Bosa (ACL), Mykel Williams (ACL), Keion White (ankle) and Alfred Collins (shoulder); linebackers Fred Warner (ankle), Dre Greenlaw (quadriceps), and Tatum Bethune (ankle); quarterback Mac Jones (shoulder); wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring); and, running backs Patrick Taylor Jr. (shoulder) and Isaac Guerendo (pectoral).

Anyone backing up those players should get ample opportunities to shine throughout camp.

Odds are there are more previously unreported health issues, and inevitably camp will deliver another wave of them. Ideally, the 49ers will have enough healthy bodies to participate in ever-meaningful joint practices, against the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers; the 49ers’ injury-fueled attrition nixed 2024 joint practices with the Saints.

2. EVANS’ PRESENCE

Mike Evans arrives as a 13,000-yard receiver who can use every practice (or cameo) to develop chemistry with Purdy, presuming Evans’ health (hamstring) cooperates.

No, they don’t need 1,000 jump-ball drills in the red zone, but the 49ers’ offense will look different with Evans’ ability to get open, make plays and draw defenders at the benefit of other receivers and space-seeking running backs.

Speaking of fellow targets, the 49ers know what they have in Evans but not with many others, because injuries robbed Pearsall, Cowing and Jordan Watkins from contributing last season. One of those guys may have to double as a sure-handed return specialist.

3. MORRIS’ MOVES

The 49ers’ revolving defensive front needs to streamline its communication so everyone is on the same page Week 1. Morris won’t have the same, stale approach as past 49ers’ pass rushes, meaning pressure must come from beyond the Wide-9 defensive ends. In the back end, let’s see how defensive backs fare in more man-to-man looks throughout camp, even in one-on-one drills.

What’s especially curious is how he’ll integrate lengthy rookies Romello Height, Jaden Dugger and Larry Worth III. Morris may not give away his full intentions but seeing how those newcomers both rush the passer and drop into coverage will impact the 49ers’ strategies.

With so many defensive linemen coming off injury, it would be surprising if the 49ers didn’t add a veteran to compete in camp. The only question would be how prominent and expensive (and available) one might be.

4. TRUSTED BACKS

Christian McCaffrey is famously coming off an NFL-high 413 touches and near 1,000/1,000 rushing/receiving season. In an effort to curtail that heavy lifting, the 49ers need to figure out if rookie Kaelon Black can overtake Jordan James as McCaffrey’s probable backup. Running backs earn trust not just through their burst past thudding defenders in no-tackle practices, but especially through their pass-protection ability and receiver capabilities.

Patrick Taylor Jr. and Sincere McCormick also are in the mix, but the 49ers surely could bring in more fresh legs, considering Guerendo is shelved from his pectoral tear.

5. COMPETITION TIME

Brock Purdy and Mac Jones should steer Shanahan’s system with ease at practice without a hint of a quarterback controversy. The competition to watch will be at QB3 between Adrian Martinez and 2025 seventh-round pick Kurtis Rourke. Whoever wins that spot could replace Jones as QB2, either before the Nov. 10 trade deadline or next year. This franchise knows a thing or two about elevating backup QBs.

Aside from QBs Martinez-Rourke and RBs Black-James, training camp’s other top battles are at left guard (Connor Colby vs. Rob Jones), cornerback (Renardo Green vs. Jack Jones), safety (any and all comers), and, apparently, punter (Jack Bouwmeester vs. Corliss Waitman).