SANTA CLARA, Calif. — All hail “The Layer King.”

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense got off to a slow start in Tuesday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans, but quarterback Brock Purdy overcame some offensive line struggles and dropped in touch throws to receivers DeMarcus Robinson, De’Zhaun Stribling and a cast of tight ends to salvage a productive workday.

Niners defensive coordinator Raheem Morris came up with the nickname early in training camp when talking about the quarterback’s touch, though Purdy is not the biggest fan of it. Why?

“Our quarterbacks coach, Mick Lombardi, doesn’t like the word ‘layer.’ He thinks everything should be driven,” Purdy said with a smile. “It’s cool that Raheem notices that, so I guess it’s a part of my game. But obviously, I like to think I can make any throw in the field, not just that one.”

Veteran receiver Mike Evans returned to practice after missing a week with a quad injury, but he participated in only one team rep. Purdy hit Robinson on one deep throw (and plenty of other passes), along with the rookie Stribling and every tight end not named George Kittle.

Coach Kyle Shanahan was not surprised.

“Usually Brock’s a really good player, so I expect him to have good plays,” he said. “I notice all the bad plays. And I didn’t notice any bad plays today, so I think he had a hell of a day.”

Purdy was missing quite a few of his weapons. Running back Christian McCaffrey missed his second straight day with “tightness” in an unspecified area. Shanahan compared the injury to Stribling’s from earlier in camp, when the rookie missed a week with hamstring tightness. McCaffrey’s top two backups, Kaelon Black (adductor) and Jordan James (rib), are still out with injuries, so Patrick Taylor Jr. ran with the 1s.

It wasn’t like Taylor had a lot of room to operate, as the 49ers’ offensive line had a hard time with Jeffery Simmons and the Titans’ defensive line. The pass rush also seemed to affect Purdy and his backup, Mac Jones, who threw an interception.

It might be time to get concerned about the left guard spot. The 49ers all but handed the job to second-year player Connor Colby at the start of camp, but he has dropped below former Miami Dolphin Robert Jones on the depth chart. And it’s not like Jones, who is on his fourth NFL team and missed all of 2025 with a neck injury, has looked that good.

Has the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl window closed?

Robert Mays

Colby spent most of the day as the second-team right guard. He was also in at left guard with the third team, after Jones and rookie Carver Willis.

Shanahan said Colby still has a shot.

“I think it’s too early to say. I mean, there definitely is a battle there,” Shanahan said. “It’s open for anybody. Those guys would probably be (in) the lead at it. I’d love to get Carver in that, too.”

When the pocket collapsed, Purdy often scrambled to find Robinson, who had 22 catches for the 49ers last season, or Stribling.

“D-Rob had a great day,” Purdy said. “I think he’s just one of the best receivers that I’ve played with in terms of the one-on-one matchup and his feel for the game.

“He’s got a lot of savviness to him. … He’s got length. This offseason, watching film on him, it’s like, all right, we can give this guy more ops and have him be a huge part of our offense. He’s had a great camp. I’m really excited for him.”

Other standouts Tuesday included:

• Receiver/running back Deebo Samuel, who broke free on a couple of runs and later made a one-handed touchdown catch in the red zone scrimmage when a pressured Purdy threw behind him.

• It wouldn’t be a day of the week if we weren’t praising Stribling, who again looked the part, this time against a real NFL opponent. His best catch was likely an in-stride grab that Purdy layered between three defenders. Stribling, The Flyin’ Hawaiian, is still running.

“Our quarterbacks really feel he has good hands, and when you have good hands, you can run through the football,” Shanahan said. “A lot of guys, you’ve got to tempo your stride and stuff to kind of absorb a ball a little bit. And when you do that, (defensive backs) can knock it out.

“When you have a lot of confidence in your hands, and you got a real good hand-eye (coordination), and you’re aggressive with it — and he is. He trains that way, he’s got the ability that way. That’s something we look for a lot, and that we liked about him coming out.”

• Blocking tight end Luke Farrell shocked the world with a deep catch, and Jake Tonges had one, too — down the middle — and Brayden Willis, an athletic tight end who wears No. 9, made a handful of grabs, including one for a touchdown. Willis, a 2023 seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma, has five special teams tackles and no catches in three seasons with the 49ers. But the arrow is pointing up.

“All our tight ends are guys that we’ve had here in the past, guys like Brayden, Jake, Luke — all of them look better than what they were last year,” Shanahan said. “And I was happy with them last year.

“They’ve all improved in the pass game and the run game. It’s nice for them to get more opportunities without Kittle out there.”

• New running back Khalil Herbert lowered his shoulder and knocked defenders back on his way to a touchdown run in the red zone scrimmage. A fired-up McCaffrey was moving pretty well as a spectator, chasing down Herbert after the play to dap him up.

• Shanahan was present for the entire practice, working with the offense, as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered in a car accident last month. The cast on his left hand was gone, in favor of a black brace. He is not big on giving updates.

“Evaluating my health is somewhat embarrassing, and I think getting old to everybody,” he said. “So don’t take it personal — I’m trying not to anymore. I was messed up, and I’m getting a lot better.”