Five 49ers to watch in Purdy’s highly anticipated season debut against the Saints
“Cowing’s place on the team seems secure as he is a fourth-round draft pick and is one of the fastest players on the team.
He had a strong practice on Friday and should be a big player in Sunday’s game against the Saints. For Cowing, it’s about establishing himself as a player who can help on offense and special teams.
Cowing could be a big threat for the 49ers in the passing game. He also has a chance to make an impact in the return game if he can prove he’s reliable at intercepting punts.”
Fred Warner believes Brock Purdy will soon be the “best” quarterback in the NFL
“I have been a fan of Brock Purdy since day one and I always will be,” Warner told Adams. “I think he is one of the best in the league and I think soon he will The best — hands down. People want to make something out of practice interceptions and all that other stuff…look, you’ve obviously never been in the NFL if you’re writing stories about interceptions in practice. As Deebo (Samuel) mentioned, he’s going up against one of the best defenses in the league. So we’re not worried about that.”
Silver: It’s time for 49ers management to make a decision on Brandon Aiyuk. Will they find their backbone? (Paywall)
“You could, of course, take a different approach: Tell Aiyuk to get back on the practice field as soon as possible or face fines and/or suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. After all, the Niners have him under contract for 2024 and can keep him with the franchise tag after the season. In theory, they could tag and trade him next spring or repeat the same thing next offseason.
With the regular season fast approaching, it’s only fair to ask when Shanahan might hit rock bottom and tell Aiyuk to start practicing. On Friday, I asked.
Shanahan responded that in such a scenario, Aiyuk would simply stay out, insisting he was injured. “I’m not sitting there and playing that game,” Shanahan said. “That’s the way the league works right now. That’s the rules. You have a hold-in position, there’s usually something wrong with the guys, so they can keep going like that. And that’s just how I coach the team.”
That’s a pretty cynical view of the situation, but it’s not far-fetched. Just ask the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
Why the 49ers won’t force Aiyuk to train during contract negotiations
“Until then, everyone just plays the game while Aiyuk’s ‘restraint’ continues.
“I’m just saying, if you call it a hold-in, and I don’t disagree with you, but people are saying they’re hurting,” Shanahan said. “I think BA has a backache right now, and it is what it is.”
Shanahan didn’t say the obvious part out loud. The only known cure for this kind of ‘back pain’ is a new contract.”
