The Good and Not So Good from Day 3 of Traning Camp: Another Rough Performance from Trey Lance
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SANTA CLARA -- Here's who stood out on Day 3 of 49ers training camp.
THE GOOD
1. Strong safety Talanoa Hufanga.
Intercepted Trey Lance (more on him below). Lance stared down his first read, George Kittle, who never turned to find the pass (more on him below as well). Hufanga anticipated the throw and picked it off with ease. So far, Hufanga has played quite well in camp and has given up zero big plays.
2. Cornerback Ambry Thomas.
He came into today's practice having given up seven catches on seven targets in camp -- not great. Today, he gave up a 40-yard catch up the sideline and 20-yard catch across the middle, but also intercepted a short pass. The receiver fell down, the ball hit him between the numbers and he hung on.
3. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
Broke up two passes and gave up only one catch. Through three days of camp, Lenoir has been the 49ers' best backup corner -- much better than Thomas.
4. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.
Has given up zero catches through three days of camp. Today, he got targeted just once and the pass was incomplete. He's playing like a shutdown cornerback.
5. Defensive end Kemoko Turay.
Recorded a sack after beating starting right tackle Colton McKivitz (more on him below). Turay currently appears to be the 49ers' second-most effective edge rusher after Nick Bosa.
6. Defensive end Drake Jackson.
Recorded a sack after beating backup right tackle Sam Schlueter. Jackson also played some defensive tackle on passing downs, similar to the way the 49ers used Arden Key last season. Perhaps the 49ers want Jackson to be the new Key.
7. Linebacker Fred Warner.
Recorded two tackles for losses despite the defense missing three starters on the defensive line -- Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw and Nick Bosa. Warner stopped Elijah Mitchell for a loss on the first play of practice, and he stopped Lance for a five-yard loss on a zone-read play.
THE NOT SO GOOD
1. Quarterback Trey Lance.
Completed just 3 of 10 pass attempts and threw an interception for the second practice in a row. Both of his interceptions in camp happened because he stared down his first read over the middle, meaning he was at fault for those turnovers. He also threw a pass today that literally spun sideways -- it looked like it was break dancing mid air. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say the ball slipped out of his hand, because he also threw some nice passes, such as a perfect deep one that flew past Charvarius Ward, hit Ray-Ray McCloud in the face mask and fell incomplete (more on Ray-Ray below). The entire offense is struggling -- not just Lance. Linemen can't block, receivers can't get open or catch the ball and the quarterbacks can't function. To be fair, the offense is missing Deebo Samuel and multiple starting offensive linemen, the defense is elite and defenses typically play better than offenses early in camp. Once Samuel returns and the players put on pads, the offense should improve and the competition should even out. In the meantime, Lance needs to reset and find the confidence he displayed in OTAs and minicamp. Because if he keeps playing like this, he'll open the door for Jimmy Garoppolo to return to the team and take his starting spot. No pressure, Trey.
2. The offensive line.
It has been awful in camp, so today the 49ers shuffled the players. They replaced Jake Brendel at center with Daniel Brunskill, and made offensive tackles Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore switch sides, and still the line was awful. Plus starting left guard Aaron Banks committed a false start penalty on 3rd and 5. This unit is a major problem.
3. Wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud.
Outran Charvarius Ward on a fade route up the sideline, which was impressive, but tried in vain to catch the deep pass with his facemask. Next time, McCloud should use his hands.
4. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Dropped his only target of the practice. Aiyuk is maddeningly inconsistent. One day he'll compete as hard as anyone. The next day he'll disappear.
5. Tight end George Kittle.
Didn't turn his head to find a pass that got intercepted, and then fell while running a route. Kittle used to dominate these sessions when he was younger -- the defense could not stop him. Now, he's another member of a terrible offense that desperately needs the return of Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel.
