Overview
- The joint practice turned chippy on Tuesday, with at least half a dozen scuffles, punches thrown and several players — including Titans linemen Austin Deculus and Dan Moore Jr. — ejected from the session.
- Coach Kyle Shanahan said the confrontations matter because an ejected player loses all reps for the day and that consequence contributed to his decision to have few 49ers starters play in the preseason opener.
- Brock Purdy completed 21 of 27 passes in the workout and avoided turnovers, while several top 49ers — notably Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey — were limited or did not practice because of soreness or tightness.
- Other NFL coaches have been using joint practices as the preferred way to give starters controlled live reps, and coaches such as Nick Sirianni and DeMeco Ryans have signaled they will limit preseason snaps and formally list non-participants.
- The immediate effect is that reserves and rookies will get more game opportunities for roster evaluation, while teams balance the need for live preparation with the risk of injuries and lost practice repetitions.