San Francisco 49ers Training Camp 2021: Predictions, preview, team news, and more
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off an underwhelming season in which they lost their starting quarterback to a season-ending injury for the second time in three seasons. In response, Trey Lance was drafted as the most expensive player of the year.
Going into training camp, the Garoppolo-Lance dynamic will be the biggest story for the 49ers. Their training camp starts on July 28th, 2021, at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, California.
San Francisco 49ers news roundup leading to training camp
San Francisco 49ers made a bevy of moves in addition to drafting Trey Lance. Here are the highlights:
They let Richard Sherman's deal expire. They signed full-back Kyle Juszczyk on a five-year deal. Offensive tackle Trent Williams was given a six-year contract. The 49ers also signed Mohamed Sanu on a one-year deal. Running back Wayne Gallman has signed a one-year deal as well.
The biggest question for the 49ers over the last several seasons is who is healthy. Currently, the entire roster, including Jimmy Garoppolo, is healthy, with the exception of two players.
According to CBS Sports, defensive back Tarvarius Moore is battling an Achilles injury that has ruled him out of training camp. He is expected to be healthy around the start of Week One, though.
Meanwhile, running back Jeff Wilson has a knee tear in his meniscus and will miss training camp. He is not expected to be back until about Week Eight.
Training camp battles and players to watch
Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to start in Week One. However, it will be interesting to see if there is an early push from Lance or an early stumble from Garoppolo.
In addition, during the off=season, Garoppolo made a statement that he has accepted the role of mentor to Lance. However, it will be interesting to see if the rubber meets the road when training camp starts.
Samson Ebukam was a backup linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams until this off-season. The 49ers signed Ebukam on a two-year, $12 million deal. Will Ebukam show that he should have been a starter from the outset? 2020 was a down year for him, as he earned only five sacks and a 56.9 PFF score.
If he can get back into the mid-60s, the San Francisco 49ers should be pleased with their investment. At 26, Ebukam's age is not a factor. However, training camp will show whether Ebukam proves himself to be up to the challenge.