Brock Purdy looked every bit like a quarterback in control during the 49ers’ joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday.
By all accounts, San Francisco’s starter was sharp from the jump, reportedly finishing 21 of 27 and piling up five touchdown passes in red-zone work. The throws weren’t just empty reps, either. He was finding targets like tight end Luke Farrell while working with third- and fourth-stringers, a reminder of how efficiently he can operate even when the lineup around him isn’t loaded with familiar names.
The praise didn’t stop with the stat line. Titans commentator Buck Reising came away impressed enough to lay it out plainly:
Brock Purdy threw 4 incompletions today. [The quarterback] had 5 touchdowns in 15 minutes in the red zone against the Titans defense...
Purdy was cooking and all their wide receivers are cooked. They got nobody out there.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan also liked what he saw, and that’s saying something. Shanahan rarely hands out easy compliments, but this time he said:
Usually Brock’s a really good player, so I expect him to have good plays. I notice all the bad plays. And I didn’t notice any bad plays today, so I think he had a hell of a day.
Still, the caveat matters. This came against the Titans, and the 49ers haven’t really been put through their toughest test yet.
It was a Robert Saleh-coached defense, but Saleh is in his first year back with the team and is still working with personnel that isn’t especially strong. He showed last season he can squeeze a lot out of a limited group, but it takes time to get everything installed the way he wants it.
Purdy also beat up on Tennessee last season, so seeing him do it again - even in practice - isn’t exactly a shock. What it does do is reinforce the same basic idea: when he’s operating cleanly, he can make life look easy.
And because he probably won’t play in the preseason, these reps may end up being some of his most important work before the regular season begins. If he’s already stacking days like this with key targets out, it gives the 49ers reason to feel good about what comes next in September.
In Other News...
49ers Preseason Opener Just Raised The Stakes For Roster Hopefuls
The 49ers first preseason game did more than shake off the rust, it started to separate the hopefuls from the long shots. Some players helped their cases with the kind of early work coaches notice, while the teams roster math got a little tighter with the first wave of cuts already beginning to trim the camp roster. Special teams roles are also starting to come into focus, with Watkins and Deebo Samuel looking like they could handle return duties as the club keeps sorting out where the most reliable depth fits.
Kurtis Rourke was one of the more interesting names to emerge from the opener, showing enough to stand out before his injury complicated the picture. His performance suggests there is something to work with, but the setback could push him toward a practice squad path rather than an immediate roster spot. On the other side of the ledger, Nate Hobbs has barely been able to practice, and his absence has left the 49ers weighing just how they want to manage his availability if he is not ready when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Fans Should Watch This Pass Rusher Closely
South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart is the kind of draft prospect 49ers fans should keep on the radar, especially if they are already thinking about the next wave of help for the defensive line. The scouting report points to the athleticism and pass-rush ability that have made him stand out, along with the kind of upside that can put a player in first-round conversations before he ever reaches the league.
The bigger question now is health, after Stewart dealt with a back injury in 2025 that could shape how teams view him moving forward. If he stays on track, his ceiling makes him an intriguing long-term option for San Francisco, a team that could always use more young edge talent in the pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Depth Battles Already Look A Lot More Concerning
The 49ers used their preseason opener in Tennessee exactly the way a team in August is supposed to, keeping most of the starters on the sideline and giving rookies and backups a long look in live action. The result was a 19-13 loss, but the more important part for San Francisco was how the roster depth held up when the games started to count for evaluation.
A handful of players did not help their cases much. Robert Jones, Connor Colby, Patrick Taylor Jr., Romello Height, Drake Nugent and Doug Kramer Jr. all drew attention for uneven showings, which is not the kind of first impression a team wants when jobs are being sorted out. For a roster with expectations as high as San Franciscos, these early depth battles were already going to matter, and now they look a little more unsettled than the 49ers probably hoped. [Read more 🡒]