SANTA CLARA – Brock Purdy nonchalantly opened Thursday’s two-minute drill by completing a pass to Christian McCaffrey past midfield.

Sounds simple. Sounds routine. Sounds like old times, like before last season’s misery amid a McCaffrey-less offense.

It wasn’t necessarily the highlight of a two-hour-plus joint practice against the Denver Broncos, nor should it overshadow defensive end Mykel Williams’ early exit due to a hyperextended knee.

But seeing McCaffrey complement Purdy and the offense is a refreshing and reviving sight.

“The minute he goes into one-on-one situation, I’m drooling over that. I love that,” Purdy said. “And we have to capitalize on that. Today we got really good work out of that. And by him being there, it opens up for other guys as well.”

“He’s had an awesome camp,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of McCaffrey, “as he always does, to prepare for Week 1 and make sure he’s built to last the whole season.”

The Broncos offered McCaffrey “fresh faces” but that didn’t necessarily mean more competition or intensity than the 49ers’ 11 intrasquad sessions to open camp. “It’s good to see where you’re at against another team,” McCaffrey said.

What the two-hour-plus practice did unveil was the 49ers’ two-minute drill and McCaffrey’s presence in it. That critical work previously unfolded in camp’s late-afternoon sessions after morning media access. Seeing it rev out the gates with McCaffrey — and without left tackle Trent Williams, who got safely stashed after warmups — was a sight to behold.

After Purdy failed to complete a second-down pass to McCaffrey, the latter converted on a short-yardage run for a first down to enhance that two-minute drive. Four plays later, Purdy delivered a touchdown strike to Demarcus Robinson.

“Christian is an intense a player as I’ve been around,” Shanahan added. “If he gets covered, I try to avoid him because he just gets pretty angry. It’s what makes him great.”

McCaffrey, a ninth-year veteran, missed all but the first week of last year’s camp with calf issues, and he missed the first two months of the season with Achilles tendinitis. He hopes he can be ready without taking a preseason snap.

“I feel great. Every day, I don’t take it for granted, and I’ve been through a lot as far as injuries in my career,” McCaffrey said. “I’ve had to come back from a lot.”

McCaffrey is a Colorado native who felt nostalgic seeing his hometown media after practice. It made him flash back to watching Denver’s 9News as a kid for potential snow days.

The 49ers had their own flashbacks Thursday. For example, McCaffrey scored in the red zone (see: 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year) on a touchdown pass from Purdy.

After McCaffrey opened the two-minute drive, Purdy had completions to Robinson (against ex-Niners safety Talanoa Hufanga) and to Russell Gage (Purdy threw the ball before Gage broke open). That drive got generously bumped up to the 12-yard line for Purdy to take two shots at the end zone: A fade pass to Robinson was broken up by Patrick Surtain II, then Robinson got open for a scoring strike against Riley Moss.

WILLIAMS EXITS EARLY

Defensive end Mykel Williams sustained a hyperextended knee, upon the 49ers’ initial exam. The 49ers’ top draft pick this year got hurt in the 11th of 14 periods. Williams walked off on his own to the weight room.

“He had a good exam. Hopefully he just hyperextended his knee,” Shanahan said. “We’ll get a further examination but it looked good.”

Williams, drafted No. 11 overall, was going to play in Saturday’s opener but Shanahan expects him to be out at least until next week. The 49ers will practice next Thursday at the Las Vegas Raiders before their exhibition two days later.

Linebacker Fred Warner, who was among the first to attend to Williams, said: “I’m there for my teammate in that moment. I hate to see a teammate go down, no matter who it is.”

PURDY RALLIES

Purdy twice got intercepted on targets to Ricky Pearsall in the opening 7-on-7 session, but when it came to full-team action and game-specific plays, Purdy finished strong. He was 19-of-26 in full-team action, including touchdowns to McCaffrey, Robinson, Ricky Pearsall and Jordan Watkins.

“Brock had a real good day, never know for sure till (we watch the) tape,” Shanahan said. “We put him in a lot of challenging situations and he handled them well.”

That included finding Pearsall on a fade down the right sideline for a touchdown against first-round pick Jahdae Barron’s tight coverage. Purdy connected with George Ktitle a couple of snaps earlier on a nice crossing route.

NO FIGHTS, BUT INTENSE

The Broncos’ defense came out in hyperspeed and dominated the initial snaps of 7-on-7 action. No fights ensued throughout the two-hour-plus practice but the most intense action came on special teams drills, with veteran defensive back Chase Lucas repeatedly confronting Broncos.

“They came out ready to roll, ready to compete. You could feel that,” Purdy said. “They were in the backfield with a couple of sacks and TFLs.”

The 49ers, having blown too many fourth-quarter leads in recent seasons, had reason to like Thursday’s finish. “That is going to happen in games. You’re not going to have a great first half but you regroup and it’s however you finish,” Purdy said. “We had a good second half of practice. We faced adversity as an offense then bounced back with good periods at the end. It was really good for us. We needed that stuff to understand where we’re at and where we’re going to get better. Football is not going to be perfect and it’s how you respond.”

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Up until Thursday, the 49ers’ two-minute drills have played out in private walk-throughs, away from the media. Shanahan said a reason he has kept them out of the usual practices is an increased injury risk.

“That was the first live one,” Shanahan said, noting that they finished quickly enough to see the first-team defense on the other field. “We moved the ball offensively on both (series), got a touchdown (from Purdy to Robinson) and a field goal (53 yards from Jake Moody).”

HEALTH CENTER

— Running back Jordan James will require surgery to repair a fractured finger and be out a couple of weeks, Shanahan said.

— Defensive end Nick Bosa resumed practicing after missing the past three sessions due to unspecified soreness.

— Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott will be out until at least next week with back issues.

— Defensive backs Marques Sigle and Darrell Luter were evaluated for possible concussions and both cleared, Shanahan said.

— Wide receivers Jauan Jennings (calf) and Jacob Cowing (hamstring) did not practice, nor did cornerback Renardo Green (hamstring), defensive end Sam Okuayinonu, and defensive tackle Evan Anderson and Kevin Givens.

— Those defensive line injuries prompted the 49ers to sign Michaal Dwumfour after Wednesday’s audition. Cornerback Eli Apple was released.

SATURDAY’S STARTERS

Look for most of the 49ers’ usual starters to sit out Saturday’s preseason opener. “Won’t play a ton of them. Doesn’t mean we will rest all 22. But don’t expect to see a lot out there,” Shanahan said.

Purdy did not play in the preseason opener the past two years but did make cameos in the following exhibitions. “I always love to get the feel for warming up, for dropping back, 11-on-11 in a stadium with the shot clock, and getting ready for Game 1,” Purdy said.

REUNION TIME

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw wore a familiar No. 57 jersey, only it was the Denver Broncos’ and it didn’t cover pads as he sat out with a quadriceps strain. Greenlaw did visit with his former 49ers teammates, however, including a hug for Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk midway through practice.

Hufanga, defensive tackle D.J. Jones and right tackle Mike McClinchey all practiced on their former training ground. Shanahan said he got to say hello to all except McClinchey. “Awesome to see those guys and glad Dre had the day off,” Shanahan said in deadpan fashion.

Warner said of Greenlaw: “I got a lot of time out there to talk to Dre. I love being around Dre, love to him death. I wish he was on our side but it’s his turn to be the guy over there.”

MOODY’S KICKS

Jake Moody, who’s kicking unopposed after Monday’s release of Greg Joseph, opened his session Thursday by banking in a field-goal attempt off the left post. Moody did not miss any kicks and finished with his 53-yarder in the two-minute drill.

Originally Published: August 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM PDT