Published Jun. 4, 2026at6:00am
SANTA CLARA — Bombs away.
Brock Purdy, one of the NFL’s most prolific passers over the past four seasons, heaved several more deep dots at the final practice of the 49ers’ spring program.
One hit rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling in stride on a corner route. Another found wideout Jacob Cowing behind the defense for a 50-yard touchdown. And then there was a reenactment of last season’s NFC wild-card win at Philadelphia: Veteran receiver Demarcus Robinson hauled in a Purdy heave for a score.
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The 49ers’ defense had its moments, too — even in between those scores and a series of nifty catches from star receiver Mike Evans on the sideline. Safety Malik Mustapha intercepted Purdy. Then, linebacker Nick Martin lunged to deflect a Purdy pass into the waiting arms of cornerback Darrell Luter Jr.
New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who knew that 49ers coach and play caller Kyle Shanahan would test his unit at this last practice before the long break preceding July’s training camp, was pumped.
“I want pressure every day,” Morris said in bring-it-on fashion after practice before breaking into a wide grin. “We got a Brock pick today. I let him know right after practice — that was awesome. He’s going to be so mad at me for telling the media that, but you guys were there. That was a big one.”
Multiple reporters reminded Morris that his defense actually notched two picks.
“Was it two interceptions?” Morris asked, smiling wider. “Oh, I didn’t get a chance to brag.”
He then showered praise on Purdy.
“He is the layer king,” Morris said. “He’s so accurate. He puts the ball in the right spot. He’s tortured me for years. It’s so nice to be around him.”
The competitive juices clearly flowed this spring, and the focal point naturally fell on the skill positions. That’s inevitable when players practice in shorts and without pads, as is the case for organized team activities (OTAs). The 49ers won’t start properly bruising until they reconvene for training camp, which starts in late July.
So while additions like Stribling and Evans have shined in open spaces, the beef in the trenches will have to wait nearly two more months to truly flex its muscles.
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Osa Odighizuwa seems ready for his opportunity, though. The defensive tackle, 27, whom the 49ers acquired in a March trade with the Dallas Cowboys, spent spring settling into the Bay Area.
Fred Warner connected Odighizuwa with his Pilates studio, allowing for the 294-pounder — who’s notably chiseled given the typically heftier body types at the defensive tackle position — to work on his flexibility. Then defensive line coach Kris Kocurek called Odighizuwa into his office.
“Kris knows what he’s talking about,” Odighizuwa said on Wednesday. “He went through and met with everyone individually to talk about things they could improve on. He got to me and [fellow veteran acquisition] Cam [Sample] last, because he took time to watch all of our tape from last year and really be intentional with the things we could improve on.”
Kocurek’s hope is that Odighizuwa, whose 52 pressures for Dallas last season nearly matched the cumulative production of all 49ers’ defensive tackles in 2025, can unlock a pass rush that finished dead last in the NFL with 20 sacks.
“There’s obviously a reason we brought Osa in here,” Kocurek said this week. “He can win at a high level. It makes everybody’s job in the scheme of the pass rush a lot better when they have a guy they have to account for inside. Having a guy who can win inside should drastically help the entirety of the pass rush.”
Kocurek helped answer one of this offseason’s biggest lingering questions by confirming that the 49ers will continue to primarily employ four-man fronts on defense but that one of Morris’ signature staples from previous stops — the five-man front — will become more common in the quest to stop opposing run games.
It won’t be a simple toggle, though, because most five-man fronts demand that defensive tackles read before attacking — which runs counter to the aggressive style that players like Odighizuwa prefer.
“We attack,” Kocurek said. “So it’s like two different worlds where Raheem is streamlining this thing to where our technique won’t change a lot.”
That’s music to Odighizuwa’s ears, who’s enjoyed these weeks of learning the 49ers’ playbook.
“Raheem — I like his scheme, I feel like it’s pretty simple,” Odighizuwa said. “It’s going to allow us to play fast. And Raheem’s got some things that are going to bring it to life.”
For that to happen, full contact and pads are required. And those, after the past few weeks of passing league fun featuring Purdy bombs and deep touchdowns into wide-open spaces, are coming the next time the 49ers convene.