Team news: San Francisco 49ers | Page 5

49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was notably self-critical earlier in the offseason when he called his 2022 season “awful” and vowed not to repeat it.

To that end, the receiver worked hard to get into his best shape in years. After playing seven snaps and receiving two touches against the Broncos in Saturday’s preseason game, Samuel noted he can feel a difference.

“I think it’s like a little more to my step,” Samuel said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “Like a little more speed, so it’s a little bit more power. But overall, it felt good to get out there, get a couple of plays [under] my belt to get ready for the season.”

Samuel caught two passes for 39 yards, one of which was a short pass he turned into a 25-yard gain in preseason Week 2. He noted that his lighter playing weight should aid his stamina. With all the targets in San Francisco, many are down on Samuel this year. We rank him 19th among our WRs. In five games with likely starting quarterback Brock Purdy, Samuel led the team in targets (6.8 per game), receptions (4.4), and yards (60), so if he can stay healthy, he should find himself back in the top-20. He averaged 19.7 rushing yards prior to Christian McCaffrey’s arrival, and 15.7 after, so his rushing took a slight hit.

49ers GM John Lynch says Brock Purdy (elbow) has been cleared to practice. "The great news is Brock has worked his tail off and he's ready to go."

Kyle Shanahan says Purdy will throw two out of every three days initially, and he'll take the first rep the days he's out there.

Related Players: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold

This is incredible news, as a full-year QB option will be a giant positive to both himself and the skill position players in fantasy. This doesn't ensure that he is the Week 1 starter but it's clearly a step in the right direction.

Including the postseason, Purdy played 82% of the snaps in eight games. In those games, he averaged 232 yards, 8.43 yards per attempt, 2.0 touchdowns, and 0.38 interceptions. He added 0.25 rushing touchdown per game. The resulting 18.8 fantasy points per game would have been the seventh-highest last season.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy resumed throwing this week after having surgery on his elbow roughly three months ago, general manager John Lynch told SiriusXM radio Wednesday.

Related Players: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold

The article would go on to quote Lynch as saying that the 49ers are "incredibly encouraged" by Purdy's recovery and that the hopes are that he is ready for training camp and, thus, the regular season.

“I mentioned Trey, I mentioned Sam, we feel good about that position holistically,” he said. “So we’re not going to do anything to put Brock in a situation where he’s not fully healed. That means not just getting back, but getting back, getting reps in under your belt — the whole deal. So we’ll take it as it comes, as we’re doing. He’s working incredibly hard, and the early returns are good.”

Purdy should be considered the heavy betting favorite to step into Week 1 as the 49ers' starting quarterback.

Per Tim, "Purdy is QB1. Nothing is guaranteed or permanent in football, but the entire premise of the 49ers’ QB situation, at this point, is that Purdy is first among equals because he earned it last December and January. Everything else — Lance’s practice time, Darnold’s arrival, the blurry timeline for Purdy’s return to full-go action — is about caution, not uncertainty."

Related Players: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold

Beat writer Kawakami repeated, in many different manners, that the only thing keeping Brock Purdy from a Week 1 starting job is the health of his elbow; Lance and Darnold are insurance policies, not hurdles. Purdy is scheduled to throw during the final week of May, which will give us a better idea of his standing for Week 1.

Kyle Shanahan said Trey Lance’s lower body is fine, and he’s throwing the ball very well at the start of the team’s offseason program because his finger is no longer an issue, either. Still, the 49ers consider Brock Purdy to be the top quarterback on the depth chart after winning eight consecutive games after taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo last season.

Related Players: Sam Darnold

We are assuredly going to be hearing news all over the place in regard to the 49ers QB situation from now until August, so it's important not to take one piece to heart. Purdy is still apparently four months out with his own injury issues, which puts his timeline basically right up against Week 1. If that's the case, we can only assume that Lance will get another chance to start the season, though Sam Darnold's helmet looms large in the background if the team opts to go in that direction.

We'll keep you posted.

The #Dolphins have signed TE Tyler Kroft to a one-year deal, per agent
Mike McCartney.

Related Players: Durham Smythe, Eric Saubert, Elijah Higgins

The Dolphins let Mike Gesicki walk this offseason but didn't do anything to replace the passing game specialist outside of sixth-rounder Elijah Higgins, who will likely be transitioning from the wide receiver position. Kroft has been bouncing around the last few seasons and hasn't produced much since his breakout 42-404-7 2017 season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

This situation is almost assuredly going to be rotational, with Durham Smythe being the de facto TE1. His previous career highs (34-357-0) came during the 2021 season.

GM John Lynch announced the 49ers have exercised the 2024 fifth-year option for receiver Brandon Aiyuk, valued at $14.1 million, but declined the option for defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. The 49ers had previously hinted that they’d make both of these moves, which are obviously tethered to the fact that Aiyuk has been productive — he notched a 1,000-yard season in 2022 — while Kinlaw has struggled to stay available due to knee issues.

Related Players: Danny Gray, Ray-Ray McCloud

The 49ers did add former Alabama tight end Cameron Latu, but we should expect them to add more talent to their pass-catching group before the draft is over. They have six late-round picks to do so, and whether or not any of those picks hit may effect the team's long-term view of Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers have received inquiries from several teams looking into a potential trade for former No. 3 pick QB Trey Lance. The conversations have been the result of SF fielding the calls, not making them, with teams aware that Brock Purdy is likely the future starter.

Rapoport went on to say, "While no trade is imminent, and the 49ers would almost certainly want to make sure Brock Purdy's rehab continues to go as smoothly as it's been going, the interest from other teams in Lance has been there."

It looks as though Purdy will be the locked-in starter if he's healthy by Week 1.

49ers GM John Lynch with the biggest endorsement of QB Brock Purdy as a starter yet: "I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he’s probably the leader in the clubhouse at that...if we were to line up, he’d probably take that first snap."

Related Players: Trey Lance

Purdy performed admirably when given the chance last season, but this is far from the last we are going to hear about the 49ers' quarterback situation. Stay tuned.

GM John Lynch and the 49ers understand the need to focus on Brock Purdy's long-term health, even though the six-month recovery timeframe currently sits at the second week of September. Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season kicks off on Sept. 7.

Typically, the six-month recovery from a UCL repair is broken up into two time periods. The first three months is spent simply recovering from the procedure while minimizing swelling and inflammation. In the final three months, Purdy should be able to start throwing the football, with full recovery expected at the end of six months.

Trey Lance is currently going off the board as the QB13 at Underdog, though it's not clear that he's the starter if Brock Purdy is healthy.