Niners Nation
All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga reflects on ‘very difficult’ decision to leave 49ers (paywall)
“It was very difficult,” Hufanga said of his decision to leave the 49ers in free agency. “I did a lot of growing here. As a young kid coming in, I graduated early from college and then came right in here to try to grow as a man. This where I got married. This where I had my first kid at.
“To be back here is special, but I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Hufanga was not alone in his move. Greenlaw has kept him company. The two were attached at the hip as 49ers, and the Broncos apparently did not buck the trend in any way.
“They put us everywhere together,” Hufanga said. “He was my locker mate here, he’s my locker mate there. He was my partner on the plane. He’s the person next door, roommate at the hotel. I’m telling you, like they just make sure we’re buddies everywhere we go.”
49ers’ Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall hit stride after rough start vs. Broncos (paywall)
“But as the two-hour-plus practice — the longest of the year for San Francisco — wore on, Purdy and the 49ers seemed to gain strength. He connected on his next two 11-on-11 attempts to Pearsall, including a nicely placed over-the-shoulder touchdown grab by the wide receiver that capped a move-the-ball period for the first-team offense.
“It’s something that we’ve been practicing this whole offseason — him fighting through contact and getting separation, and then the ball was right there, and it was just good timing,” Purdy said. “It’s something that we’ve been repping. So I’m glad we got that against another defense in a crucial situation. I think it was third down, and we needed that, and he made the catch and scored.”
Five 49ers to keep an eye on in Saturday’s preseason opener vs. Broncos
“Watkins has a lot to learn, but he appears to be making noticeable strides with the possibility that he can work his way into a significant role at the start of the regular season.
The practices Thursday provided Watkins with good learning experiences. And now he will have a taste of what is needed when going up against an unfamiliar defense in a game-like setting.“
49ers’ offense finishes strong vs. Broncos’ stout defense in joint practice
“Then, Purdy hooked up with Pearsall on a 30-yard touchdown against the coverage of first-round draft pick Jahdae Barron, the No. 20 overall selection.
It was an up-and-down day for the 49ers’ offense, which was to be expected against one of the top defenses in the league.
“For them to come and give us different looks and have a couple bad plays, and how you finish practice is a big thing,” Purdy said. “I think it was a good day, overall.”
Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy discusses 49ers-Broncos joint practice
“Here is everything they had to say.”
