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SANTA CLARA — Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from major knee surgery. Ricky Pearsall is dealing with a hamstring issue. And Jauan Jennings is sidelined with a calf injury.
So when Brock Purdy dropped back to pass Tuesday at 49ers minicamp, the $265 million quarterback didn’t have many familiar faces to target. Purdy tossed three interceptions — two in 7-on-7 drills and one in 11-on-11 work — but the errant throws didn’t seem to worry Kyle Shanahan.
When asked if he felt his offense struggled, Shanahan said, “I didn’t get that same feeling.”
To the untrained eye, Robert Saleh’s defense appeared a step ahead of Shanahan’s offense Tuesday, but neither unit was remotely close to full strength.
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If the 49ers expect to bounce back from a nightmare 6-11 season and return to the top of the NFC, it’s unlikely they’ll do so with Purdy throwing to a receiving corps led by Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and rookie Jordan Watkins. And if Saleh engineers a turnaround for a defense that became a liability for the 49ers last season, it’s difficult to envision safeties Richie Grant and Jason Pinnock leading the back end of a defense that was without highly touted rookies Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins up front.
But on Tuesday, almost every player dealing with a mild injury was held out of practice, which revealed what the team’s worst-case scenario might look like this season.
When Shanahan spoke to reporters at the podium after practice, he spent the first few minutes detailing all the precautionary measures the 49ers are taking this week.
Here’s who didn’t take the field on Tuesday and the explanations Shanahan provided:
Safety Ji’Air Brown: “Had ankle surgery, he’ll be back by training camp.”
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall: “Hamstring, nothing serious, pretty good now.”
Defensive tackle Alfred Collins: “Calf. Happened before the draft, we’re just being smart with him, he’ll be good by training camp.”
Offensive tackle Andre Dillard: “Had his ankle scoped, he’ll be good by training camp.”
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings: “Calf, nothing serious, back by training camp.”
Safety George Odum: “His knee, he’s still rehabbing from the season, he should be good for training camp.”
Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos: “Just some old knee wear and tear, we’re just being smart with him, he’ll be good by training camp.”
Defensive end Mykel Williams: “Just a tight hamstring, we’re being smart, probably could go this week, but we’ll just hold him until training camp.”
The list went on to include Aiyuk, safety Malik Mustapha, wide receiver Trent Taylor, and linebacker Curtis Robinson, but none of those players will likely be available by the start of training camp in July.
Shanahan and the 49ers understand the reality of their situation. After finishing in last place in the NFC West, all of their stars except Aiyuk are healthy and eager to take advantage of a full offseason of rest and a softer schedule that awaits this fall.
Executing a worst-to-first turnaround requires, of course, that the core players stay on the field. That group, which includes Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Trent Williams on offense, with Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Deommodore Lenoir on defense, also needs players in complementary roles to step up.
That’s why Shanahan, who is tempted to cut minicamp short, won’t give in.
“I almost want to cancel the whole week,” the coach said. “But there’s 20 guys out there who still really need this week, and then there are 60 guys who are trying to get through this and not get them injured, and that’s our biggest goal with everything.”
Strong performances in minicamp are hardly a guarantee of regular-season success, but it’s clear that Purdy is developing a solid connection with Robinson, who made a few impressive catches after hauling in several throws during OTAs.
At the moment, it appears the 49ers will let Cowing and Watkins push each other for opportunities, too, with Cowing likely holding the upper hand entering his second season.
“Jacob put in some of the most work that anyone did over the offseason as far as doing it before Phase 1 started and continuing it into 2 and 3,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s really transferred over into the OTA practices.”
With Aiyuk, Pearsall, and Jennings all sitting out Tuesday’s practice, the 49ers’ depth chart at wide receiver appeared especially thin, and Shanahan confirmed the team has considered another outside addition.
The 49ers welcomed veteran Gabe Davis for a visit in early May, but the receiver remains unsigned and reportedly visited the Saints this week.
“Gabe has visited a few teams,” Shanahan said. “He’s a guy we’ve been a fan of in the past, and he wanted to visit a few teams, and we talked to him, had mutual interest. We had a good visit, but [evaluating free agents] is something we really never stop doing.”
After slashing payroll and cutting a handful of veteran players in March, the 49ers worked to replenish the bottom half of their roster through the draft and a series of lower-profile free-agent signings.
Pinnock, who played with the first-team defense Tuesday, picked off Purdy about 40 yards downfield on his deepest pass attempt of the morning. Even when Mustapha and Brown return to the field, it’s possible the former Giants defensive back could earn playing time as a free safety.
Tre Brown, who spent the last four seasons with the Seahawks, undercut a route over the middle of the field and also intercepted Purdy on Tuesday. The former fourth-round draft pick has played outside corner in the past but might have the ability to fill in at nickel if rookie Upton Stout struggles to acclimate to the NFL.
The 49ers could also ask Lenoir to slide back inside, but after signing a five-year extension with the team last season, he’s focused on excelling at the outside corner position.
“[Nickel] is vital to the defense, playing next to Fred and hearing all the communication and being in the action,” Lenoir said. “Corner is just kind of different. You’re just playing on the outside, and you’re not really involved in the run game how the nickel is.”
The third player who intercepted Purdy was linebacker Dee Winters, who has the speed to help fill a void left by Dre Greenlaw. The 49ers signed De’Vondre Campbell last year to fill in while Greenlaw recovered from his torn Achilles, but Campbell was abysmal against the run and essentially quit the team when he refused to play in a Week 16 loss to the Rams.
Without his best receivers on the field, Purdy still delivered tight spirals and on-time throws on most of his reps. There were moments where his receivers didn’t help him out — running back Patrick Taylor Jr. dropped an easy pass after Purdy scampered out of the pocket to hit him in the right flat — but the quarterback position is the least of the 49ers’ worries.
The real issue, as Shanahan acknowledged, is keeping as many star players as healthy as possible. As the team prepares to wrap up minicamp and break for the summer Wednesday, the 49ers won’t take any chances.
They’ve seen what it looks like when their best players aren’t on the field. And they don’t want to see much more of it.