Why hasn’t Brandon Aiyuk practiced? Why didn’t Brock Purdy go on IR? 49ers mailbag – The Athletic
This week’s mailbag brings questions about upcoming free agents, why rookies aren’t playing more and the San Francisco 49ers’ offseason regrets.
It’s almost as if readers are looking beyond the current season. Perhaps they’re taking their cue from the team’s lack of activity at the trade deadline.
We get into that topic and much more below. Thanks for all the terrific questions — there were a lot this week — which have been slightly modified for length and clarity.
Is there a possibility Brandon Ayiuk doesn’t play at all this season? — Mark M.
I asked Kyle Shanahan that question Wednesday.
He said he was “pretty confident” Aiyuk would play.
“At least open up his practice window,” Shanahan said. “We talk about it being week to week right now, so (we’re) still waiting until he is ready.”
When someone is coming off a long-term injury like Aiyuk is, the team wants him to reach his baselines for speed and other measurables. It appears as if Aiyuk hasn’t gotten to that point yet.
Erring on the side of caution with Aiyuk also fits the 49ers’ 2025 philosophy of keeping their eye firmly on future seasons. In 2013, Michael Crabtree, who at the time was the 49ers’ top wide receiver, tore his Achilles tendon in an OTA practice. He was back on the field by Dec. 1 — a little more than six months — which is a fast recovery for an Achilles injury.
Back then, the 49ers knew they had a superior team and that their Super Bowl window was rapidly closing. So they made it a priority to get Crabtree back as soon as possible. They definitely haven’t put the same sort of rush order on Aiyuk.
I have a hard time believing the 49ers simply took the day off as the trade deadline passed. Are there any rumblings as to what players the 49ers might have sought and at what price they balked? — Jeff D.
I don’t know exactly what the offers and demands were. I just know that there was interest in Trey Hendrickson, Jermaine Johnson and at least one of the Miami Dolphins’ pass rushers, but that the 49ers never really came close to swinging a deal.
It seemed like the market at just about every position was higher than everyone predicted. Miami pass rusher Jaelen Phillips, for example, was traded for a third-round pick. The 49ers traded a compensatory third-round pick two years ago for Chase Young, who, while flawed, had been the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year three years earlier. If Phillips fetched a three, you can only imagine the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals wanted more for Johnson and Hendrickson.
“I know we looked into a ton of (trade possibilities),” Shanahan said. “But the asking price was too much on all of them.”
Does last year’s strong draft class give Tariq Ahmad and his staff more credibility and belief with John Lynch, and allow him to believe the 49ers can truly rebuild this through the draft? Trey Sermon, Ambry Thomas, Ty Davis-Price, Danny Gray, Jake Moody and Cameron Latu were drafted under the Adam Peters regime. — Maleake H
I believe Maleake is referring to my podcast argument that the 49ers shouldn’t consider third-round picks so sacrosanct because they have such a poor history in that round. But he’s right in that the third-rounders under Ahmad — Dominick Puni, Nick Martin and Upton Stout — have been more reliable.
Who plays the NASCAR package on the defensive line now? Also, who are the Alphas and Bravos? — Andy T.
Andy is asking about how defensive line coach Kris Kocurek will organize his unit, which is now missing Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams and Yetur Gross-Matos. The alphas are the starters/base down players, the bravos are the backups and the turbos are the designated pass rushers. The following stab assumes Clelin Ferrell will be promoted from the practice squad:
- Alphas: Sam Okuayinonu, Kalia Davis, Jordan Elliott, Ferrell
- Bravos: Robert Beal Jr., Alfred Collins, Kevin Givens, Keion White
- Turbo: Bryce Huff, White, Collins, Okuayinonu
Why hasn’t the team put either Ricky Pearsall or Brock Purdy on injured reserve? — Joe W.
First, they didn’t think either injury would linger as long as it has.
“I mean, they’re thinking more of like a minor PCL or something like that,” Shanahan said a day after Pearsall’s Week 4 injury. “Just landing on it hard, so hopefully it won’t be too bad.”
In Purdy’s case, putting him on IR would have meant he couldn’t practice with the team, which he’s mostly been able to do to this point, albeit on a limited basis.
Finally, the 49ers are leery about the number of return-from-IR designations — teams are limited to eight — they use early in the first half of the season. They’ll probably be less cautious now that there are eight games remaining and because teams that make the playoffs get two additional return designations.
Pearsall still hasn’t practiced since Week 4, while Purdy was again limited in Wednesday’s session. Asked if Purdy would get more first-team repetitions this week than last week, Shanahan said, “Yeah, I’d like to. Yeah, we plan on pushing it each week.”
Is Spencer Burford expected to compete with Ben Bartch or Connor Colby for left guard, or are they gonna prioritize him at swing tackle? — Zach M.
Bartch is trending toward being back this week — he was full go in Wednesday’s practice — but it’s still not a done deal. So Burford will continue to practice at guard this week. The 49ers were happy with how he played against the Giants, especially in the run game.
One would think we would see an uptick in rookie snaps as the season goes on. Especially with all the injuries. Instead, the rookie snap count was a season low against the Giants. What is going on with the rookies? — Christoffer A.
Well, one rookie, Colby, started alternating series with Nick Zalelj two weeks ago, then was replaced by Burford in New York. Colby clearly had cooled off since his hot start in New Orleans.
Meanwhile, Kevin Givens might have been a Week 1 starter had he not suffered a pectoral injury in training camp. Rookie CJ West essentially filled in when Givens was out, but now that he’s back, West has been a healthy scratch. The same thing happened at safety with Malik Mustapha, now back from an ACL injury, and rookie Marques Sigle.
Shanahan said it can help a rookie to get playing time, followed by time on the bench.
“Sometimes you get in there and you can manage it for a little bit, but you’re not quite ready for it, so eventually you break down,” he said. “So when you can get in and get out, I do think it helps guys.”
Which of the 49ers’ 2026 free agents, if any, are they most likely to re-sign in the offseason? — Allan B.
Here’s the list of expected unrestricted free agents in alphabetical order:
- G Ben Bartch
- WR Kendrick Bourne
- OL Spencer Burford
- DT Kalia Davis
- DT Jordan Elliott
- LB Luke Gifford
- DT Kevin Givens
- DL Yetur Gross-Matos
- C Matt Hennessy
- DE Tarron Jackson
- WR Jauan Jennings
- WR Skyy Moore
- P Thomas Morstead
- K Eddy Piñeiro
- S Jason Pinnock
- RB Brian Robinson Jr.
- LB Curtis Robinson
- RB Patrick Taylor
- WR Trent Taylor
- LS Jon Weeks
We’ll certainly be revisiting this list once the season ends, but here are some early thoughts:
• You’d think the 49ers would try to keep their kicking battery of Weeks, Morstead and Piñeiro together, although that could be expensive given how good Piñeiro has been. Weeks and Morstead also will be 40 years old when the free-agency period gets going.
• Gifford, meanwhile, has emerged as one of two core special teamers (along with Siran Neal). Similarly, Curtis Robinson seems like someone the team will continue re-signing to modest deals, given he plays special teams and can fill in at any of the linebacker spots.
• Hennessy and Bartch could be priorities. Hennessy stood out Sunday against the New York Giants. The 49ers love Bartch’s skill set, but he’s had a litany of injuries throughout his career. His health over the final eight games might dictate their level of pursuit.
• Davis seems like someone the team ought to bring back. He turned 27 last month and, after a delayed start to his career, is still ascending. You often see him getting in on tackles down the field — impressive for a 310-pounder.
• Jennings is going to be far more difficult to re-sign than Bourne. That is, I think there’s a much better chance Bourne is part of next year’s roster.
If you had to pick one young player (rookie or second year) to pop the rest of the season after being lightly used so far, who would it be? — Brad H.
I thought second-year guys Renardo Green, Tatum Bethune and Puni had their best games of the season on Sunday. Maybe that had a lot to do with the caliber of the opponent, but Puni seemed as healthy and animated as he’s been all year.
As far as rookies, Jordan Watkins is finally back in the mix. With Aiyuk and Pearsall slow to return, he has an opportunity to make his mark. Watkins seems more mature than most rookies and has the type of speed the 49ers offense has been missing. Here’s what I wrote about Watkins at the start of training camp.
Why isn’t the offense explosive in the passing game anymore? They were explosive with no-name receivers in 2017 and 2018 — Yonis M.
Yeah, but one of those receivers was Marquise Goodwin, who was among the fastest players in the league at the time. The fastest wide receivers on the current roster are Jacob Cowing, Watkins, Aiyuk and Pearsall. Combined games played by that group this year: 5 1/2.
Can we expect to see Brian Robinson get more carries going forward? Aside from CMC being RB1, what is holding him back from earning carries? — Brent X.
- Christian McCaffrey
- Bobby Turner
What offseason roster decision does the team most regret? — Jared P
This is my guess: Leonard Floyd.
Was he a perfect fit in San Francisco’s scheme? No. But he was a 17-game starter who finished with 8.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. And he was signed for this season. Note to the 49ers: If you ever find a 17-game starter, especially along the defensive line, hold onto him like grim death.
