SANTA CLARA – The 49ers hit their Levi’s Stadium field Wednesday for the third time in four practices, primarily to figure out their acoustics ahead of the Sept. 13 season opener here against the Arizona Cardinals.
This is what we’ve learned here at team headquarters:
GEORGE KITTLE UPDATE
A week after exiting practice early with a tight hamstring, George Kittle is expected to return for today’s session, albeit in a limited capacity. “Kittle might do a little today but I’m still taking care of them,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of his first-team All-Pro tight end.
BOSA, FORD STATUS
Defensive ends Nick Bosa (leg strain) and Dee Ford (calf) remain out and have not practiced since Aug. 21. Shanahan said he is not concerned, adding: “I’d be surprised if they’re not ready to go Week 1.”
Also not expected to practice are wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring), tight end Ross Dwelley (foot) and linebackers Fred Warner (COVID-19 list) and Dre Greenlaw (concussion).
TRENT TAYLOR FANS
Perhaps the most overlooked storyline this month is the return of Trent Taylor, who required foot surgery a year ago and missed the ensuing season because of multiple injuries to clear out an infection.
“I’m really proud for him and sticking with that, for all the adversity he faced,” Shanahan said. “He’s obsessed with getting into Week 1 and playing. He’s as tough as anyone I’ve been around and I’m really pulling for him.”
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who thrived on an instant connection with Taylor in December 2017, seems just as encouraged at Taylor’s comeback.
“Trent’s been so consistent through the whole camp, the way he communicates what he’s seeing out there and feeling from the (defensive backs),” Garoppolo said. “To have a guy I know where he’ll be and can count on him, it makes my job a lot easier.”
GUARD/CENTER ISSUES
Center Ben Garland won’t return to practice until next week because of an early-camp ankle sprain that has clouded, among other things, the right-guard competition between Daniel Brunskill and Tom Compton (or Colton McKivitz).
“I don’t want to give you the answer,” Shanahan told reporters, “but I truly don’t know the answer.”
“It’s always difficult mixing and matching,” Jimmy Garoppolo said. “But, at training camp, we’ve done it before, and with injuries you never know what will happen during the season.”
Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said of Brunskill: “Dan’s had a great camp, great player and he’s versatile. It’s going to be fun his progession and see what a great teammate he is, ready to step in wherever we need him.”
EAST COAST LAYOVER
The 49ers plan to stay at The Greenbriar resort in West Virginia between their games against the New York Jets (Sept. 20) and Giants (Sept. 27), Shanahan confirmed.
Since 2011, the 49ers routinely have stayed back east on back-to-back road games. Last year, they spent a week in Youngstown, Ohio between their season-opening wins at Tampa Bay and Cincinnati, and the stayed in Florida last December between games against the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints.
STADIUM NOISE
The 49ers took practice inside Levi’s Stadium again to experiment with the fake-crowd noise, or lack thereof if they choose not to use any. Could that impact Kyle Shanahan’s volume on how he relays play calls?
“If it’s silent, it’s going to be a difference,” Shanahan said. “I don’t call them loud anyway because it’d drive the quarterback crazy if I screamed into the ear. I try to sound normal, unless in New Orleans and I can’t hear myself think.”
Shanahan interestingly noted that no noise could help quarterbacks pick up what defensive signals are being relayed.
As for whether a quarterback’s cadence could draw more offside penalties, Solomon Thomas said he and fellow linemen must stay true to their get-off keys (such as watching the back of the ball being snapped, or an offensive lineman’s movement). “You don’t want to rely on cadence because that’s when you jump offside.”
NEW DEFENSIVE END
Cameron Malveaux got signed before practice, but why? The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end figures to help in the rotation over the coming days. Although Nick Bosa (leg) and Dee Ford (calf) have been out the past week with issues that aren’t expected to keep them sidelined for Week 1, Malveaux was needed to help compensate for the loss of another defensive end, Jonathan Congbo, who was waived last week with a groin injury.
Malveaux, 25, played 13 games and had two sacks during his time with the Miami Dolphins (2017-18) and Cardinals (’18). The Houston product spent this past offseason with Washington, which waived him Aug. 3.
DEADLINE MOVES
The 49ers must decide by Saturday’s 1 p.m. roster deadline what to do with the five players who spent training camp on their injury lists: Wide receivers Deebo Samuel (foot) and Richie James (wrist); defensive linemen Ronald Blair (knee) and Julian Taylor; and, center Weston Richburg (knee). Only Samuel and Blair are expected to be cleared, while the other three sit out at least the first six weeks of the season.
