SANTA CLARA — It was over in an instant and barely qualified as a skirmish, but one of the most notable moments from the 49ers’ first practice Wednesday involved wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk enjoying some healthy verbal back-and-forth with Fred Warner.
Where Aiyuk is concerned, showing a little fire and having a solid first day of practice is a good thing. He’s currently the 49ers’ No. 1 outside receiving option until Deebo Samuel signs a new contract extension.
If Aiyuk learned anything from a rocky start at this time a year ago, it’s that he also needs to be good in the meeting room. And the weight room. And as a blocker.
Then, do it all over again, stacking positive days like cordwood.
In the vernacular of football, being a “dog” is a sign of respect, acknowledging non-stop effort and a willingness to fight. Being in the doghouse is another thing entirely, and that’s where Aiyuk found himself with coach Kyle Shanahan.
It wasn’t exactly purgatory, but Aiyuk expected more than 26 snaps in last year’s season opener against Detroit after being outplayed in training camp by Trent Sherfield. Aiyuk had zero targets in Week 1 and caught just one pass in Week 2.
Shanahan and Aiyuk had some frank exchanges about what it meant to be a professional receiver. Aiyuk responded to the tough love and in the last 11 games played between 88 percent and 98 percent of the snaps in each game. He finished with 56 receptions for 826 yards and earned the praise of the coach who hadn’t spared him criticism.
“Everybody knows the situation last year and how stuff went,” Aiyuk said following practice. “Personally, I’m happy about the way things turned out and how everybody grew, moved on and moved on from situations in the past.”
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley said that Aiyuk never lacked for confidence, but noted an uptick in terms of focus.
“He knows the offense more, believes in himself and I like the way he’s going right now,” Moseley said.
As a rookie first-round pick out of Arizona State, Aiyuk had 60 receptions for 748 yards and five touchdowns, so his numbers didn’t have the quantum leap one would expect from Year 1 to Year 2.
That could come in 2022 after Aiyuk had his first legitimate off-season not impacted by injuries or COVID-19.
“I went through a lot in my first two years,” Aiyuk said. “Even waking up today, I was just grateful for every lesson learned. To go through an actual offseason, where you come in, you work, you meet and you throw and play football, as opposed to coming into the league when you really don’t know what to do, it’s just been huge.”
For the second year, Aiyuk spent some of his offseason with quarterback Trey Lance. Only this time, Lance is going in as the starter and Aiyuk has given himself a head start in being a trusted target.
The two have grown more comfortable with each other. Aiyuk said Lance chided him for not talking to him and giving him dirty looks.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Aiyuk said.
Over the summer, Aiyuk and Lance ran hills together in Southern California and simulated training camp practices.
“We go out there for a three-day block of running routes and then one day off,” Aiyuk said. “We’ll work some quick game, some play-action, some days dedicate to all deep plays and posts.”
Aiyuk has quickly learned that the ball could come his way at any time with Lance at quarterback as opposed to predecessor Jimmy Garoppolo, who was more precision oriented and without the same kind of throwing arm.
“You have to be ready on every single play because you might get the ball even though they haven’t thrown the ball to that spot in years past,” Aiyuk said. “He makes the safeties back up, get out of their backpedals fast.”
Just as important was the bonding that went beyond football.
“As the quarterback, we’ve got to be connected, on the field and off,” Aiyuk said.
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Shanahan even compared Aiyuk’s worth ethic to that of Samuel during OTAs in May and continued his praise Wednesday before the first practice.
“I’m impressed with how Aiyuk has carried himself,” Shanahan said. “Everyone knows how it started off last year. He was a little bit behind where I wanted him and he accepted the challenge and handled it like a man and got so much better and just went to work.”
The longer Samuel stays out of practice awaiting a deal, the more Aiyuk can assert himself as a go-to target. He’s not looking at it that way, however.
“Whether he’s out there or whether he’s not out there I feel I’ll still be playing the same type of role,” Aiyuk said. “I don’t look at it any different than if he was at practice today. Of course we’d love to have him, but things have got to be worked out first.”
