49ers’ Tarron Jackson taken to hospital after scary training camp moment

It was an ordinary late-July day at 49ers training camp — until suddenly it wasn’t.

A play ended, and defensive lineman Tarron Jackson didn’t get up. It was unclear what happened — 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he’d need to watch film to know — but Jackson was lying on his back. Trainers rushed out. All of Jackson’s 49ers teammates dropped to one knee. The blaring music stopped, and there was silence.

After several tense minutes, medical personnel put Jackson on a backboard and an ambulance transferred him to Stanford Hospital. A half hour later, Shanahan said that Jackson was conscious, had feeling in all of his extremities, and was talking before the ambulance departed.

That was the good news, and the 49ers will hope for more of it as the 27-year-old Jackson, who signed with the team back in January after spending time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, recovers at the hospital.

“Hopefully, we cleared the real scary stuff,” Shanahan said. “And hopefully we’ll get some good news on his neck.”

This is the first time a player has been removed from 49ers camp on a backboard since 2017, when rookie linebacker Donavin Newsom suffered a frightening concussion — but suffered no spinal damage — during Shanahan’s first season at the helm.

“It’s definitely a reminder not to take any day for granted,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said after practice. “You’re in a non-padded practice and a guy gets carted off. It’s a serious sport. Just pray for the best for him.”

Shanahan called practice after Newsom was carted off on that August day in 2017. Today, the session — which was already nearing its completion — continued for a few more minutes. Shanahan told players that Jackson was moving and talking.

“I think [that] eased them up a little bit from the biggest fears,” Shanahan said. “I asked them if they were OK to continue to go. They all yelled ‘yes.'”

This was the last of four non-padded practices to begin training camp. On Monday, the 49ers will don pads for the first time this season, an important milestone in their preparation. It’ll be much easier to evaluate all positions, especially both lines, once players have their full protective gear on.

The health of the 49ers’ receiver room should be closely scrutinized as these more intense sessions begin. Shanahan is particularly demanding of his wideouts in the run-blocking game, which will grow into a featured part of practice.

Jauan Jennings, the team’s best run blocker at the position, left Sunday’s practice early with a calf issue. But the 49ers did have enough bodies to comfortably finish the session thanks to the fact that receiver Ricky Pearsall, as expected, returned to practice from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Pearsall was returning from a hamstring strain. He out-sprinted fellow wideouts Jennings and Demarcus Robinson during early drills before catching a couple passes, including a red-zone touchdown, during team drills.

“It was nice [to have him back]”, Shanahan said. “I think he got like eight reps today, but we’ll see how he did with recovery and stuff. But I didn’t hear any complaints and good first day back.”

It’s been a frenetic offseason at the receiver position for the 49ers — and more news is coming. The 49ers expect Jacob Cowing, who strained his hamstring last week, to be out about two more weeks. They’re awaiting NFL discipline for Robinson, who recently pled no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge, while they negotiate a modified contract with Jennings — all while the 28 year-old navigates the calf issue that cut his practice short on Sunday.

Shanahan didn’t know the extent of Jennings’ injury, but said it could be similar to the calf issue that sidelined the receiver during OTAs. The 49ers have already signed two receivers, Equanimeous St. Brown and Quintez Cephus, over the past week to keep up with injuries and might have to go back to the free agency well if the prognosis on Jennings isn’t good.

They’ve also enjoyed surprising contributions from wideouts who began camp further down the depth chart, namely veteran Russell Gage (who caught a touchdown in the red zone Sunday) and undrafted rookie Isaiah Neyor. Gage was a productive player for both the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers but hasn’t played in a game since 2022. He tore his patellar tendon during training camp in 2023.

• Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir spoke to the media for the first time since he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice last month.

“I want to apologize to my teammates, the organization and to my coaches and to my family — just for a mistake,” Lenoir said.

Lenoir was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th St. division on June 27 after he reportedly refused to surrender the car keys of a man named Marcus Cunningham, who was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle.

“I’m different than who I was five years ago,” Lenoir said, speaking of the lessons he learned from the incident. “[I need to be] at the right place, not hanging out in areas that I shouldn’t be.”

Lenoir’s case has yet to resolved.

• Lenoir joked about a scuffle he had with Jennings at Friday’s practice.

“That’s just how we greet each other,” he said with smile.

Sunday marked a good day for Lenoir and some of the 49ers’ reserves in coverage. With second cornerback Renardo Green sidelined with a hamstring injury for about two weeks, the secondary’s depth was pressed into greater action. Rookie cornerbacks Jakob Robinson and Derrick Canteen both notched pass breakups. So did veteran cornerback Dallis Flowers, who covered an impressive amount of ground to swat away a deep out attempt from quarterback Mac Jones.

Then, veteran DB Siran Neal — a special teams ace – finished practice with a pick-six off 49ers quarterback Tanner Mordecai.

Following practice, the 49ers reportedly agreed to terms with veteran cornerback Eli Apple — a move designed to fill the void left by Green’s injury. Apple, a top-10 pick of the New York Giants in the 2016 draft, will turn 30 next month. The 6-foot-1 corner spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

• Kyle Shanahan’s dad, multiple-time Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan, was on hand for Sunday’s practice.

“He enjoys football so it’s entertaining for him,” Kyle Shanahan said. “I think my mom likes a little break so she tries to get him to come out here.

“I grew up going to training camp, loving football, and not realizing until you grow up that it gave you a chance to hang around your dad a lot. And it’s cool that he can come here, do this and still get to hang around me and my son a little bit.”

• Quarterback Brock Purdy returned to practice after taking a personal day away Friday.

“All good news,” Shanahan said. “I’m sure he’ll tell you guys when he talks to you guys next.”