The San Francisco 49ers wrapped up minicamp three weeks ago, and are now enjoying the longest stretch of the offseason. Training camp gets going at the end of July, and while some players are still working out at the 49ers facility, they cannot interact with the coaching staff on football specific topics. And so, we get a boring but sort of relaxing six week period.
The 49ers have not announced training camp information yet, but the collective bargaining agreement and some publicly announced information allow us to create a bit of a training camp schedule skeleton.
Article 23 of the CBA pertains to training camp. Section 5 discusses reporting dates:
No veteran player other than quarterbacks and injured players, will be required to report to a Club’s official preseason training camp earlier than fifteen days (including one day for physical examinations, meetings, classroom instruction, running, and conditioning) prior to his Club’s first scheduled preseason game or July 15, whichever is later. The July 15 date shall not apply to Clubs participating in the Canton Hall of Fame Game or any American Bowl game scheduled around the Canton Hall of Fame Game date. For purposes of this Section, an “injured player” shall not include a player who fully participates in all Phase Three activities and the Mandatory Veteran Minicamp during the club’s offseason workout program during the League Year in question.
The 49ers first preseason game is Sunday, August 14, when they host the Houston Texans. 15 days prior to that is Saturday, July 30, which is the likely report date for the team. Technically they can have players report later, but they will be looking to maximize practices. And so, veterans will likely be required to report on July 30. Full medical examinations will take place when players, and that week is when we’ll find out whether guys like Glenn Dorsey, Ian Williams, and Will Redmond will open the season on the PUP or NFI lists. Dorsey, Williams, and Redmond will all likely report earlier since they would qualify under the “injured player” designation.
Section 6 of Article 23 explains how practice can be conducted, and what limitations exist in what regards:
(a) The first day of a Club’s preseason training camp shall be limited to physical examinations, meetings, and classroom instruction; no on-field activities shall be permitted other than running and conditioning. No contact shall be permitted and no pads shall be worn during the second and third days of Preseason Training Camp. Thereafter, two-a-day practices shall be permitted, subject to the following rules:
(i) players may be on the field for a total of no more than four hours per day;
(ii) players may participate in no more than one padded practice per day, which shall be no longer than three hours of on-field activities;
(iii) there must be at least a three hour break after the practice; and
(iv) the second practice on the same day may only be for a maximum of the remaining available on-field time, and shall be limited to only “walk-through” instruction (i.e., no helmets, full-speed pre-snap, and walking pace after the snap).
The three-hour limit on padded practices shall begin as soon as position coaches begin to coach players on the field. The definition of a “padded practice” under this Article shall be the same as the definition used for regular season practices in Article 24, Section 1(c) of this Agreement. In the event that a Club begins a padded practice but such practice is cancelled within sixty minutes of its commencement due to inclement weather or for any other reason beyond the Club’s control, such practice shall not count as a padded practice under this Article or Article 24.
This section dictates that the 49ers cannot have on-field activities on July 30, other than running and conditioning. That means the first practice is allowed on July 31. Additionally, the team cannot have pads or full contact the second and third days of training camp. That means the first fully-padded practice would be August 2.
The team also announced they will hold joint practices with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos prior to their first two preseason games. Dates were not listed at the time, but the team announced they would have one practice with the Texans and two with the Broncos. The 49ers-Texans game is scheduled for Sunday August 14. Since they cannot have a practice the day before game, that likely means the joint practice with Houston will be Friday, August 12. The 49ers-Broncos game is scheduled for Saturday, August 20. That would likely mean the two practices with Denver would be Wednesday and Thursday, August 17 and 18 with the Broncos. Matt Maiocco and PFT listed the dates as such.
We also know the dates for roster cuts. The first round of roster cuts are required by 1 p.m. PT the Tuesday after the third preseason game. The second and final round of roster cuts are required by 1 p.m. PT that next Saturday. Players run through waivers, and on that Sunday, teams can begin signing their practice squads.
With all that in mind, here is a rundown of the 49ers tentative training camp/preseason calendar, with all times listed as Pacific Time. The 49ers will announce their full training camp schedule sometime in July, and we’ll update this at that point.
Saturday, Jul 30: Veterans report to Santa Clara for training camp
Sunday, Jul 31: First full-squad practice
Tuesday, Aug 2: First padded practice
Friday, Aug 12: 49ers-Texans joint practice, Santa Clara, CA
Sunday, Aug 14: 49ers vs. Texans, Preseason Week 1, Levi’s Stadium, 4 p.m., KPIX 5/NFL Network
Wednesday, Aug 17: 49ers-Broncos joint practice, Englewood, CO
Thursday, Aug 18: 49ers-Broncos joint practice, Englewood, CO
Saturday, Aug 20: 49ers at Broncos, Preseason Week 2, 6 p.m., KPIX 5
Friday, Aug 26: 49ers vs. Packers, Preseason Week 3, Levi’s Stadium, 7 p.m., KPIX 5/NFL Network
Tuesday, Aug 30: Roster cut-down to 75 players by 1 p.m.
Thursday, Sept 1: 49ers at Chargers, Preseason Week 4, 7 p.m., KPIX 5
Saturday, Sept 3: Roster cut-down to 53 players by 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept 4: Clubs can start signing 10-man practice squad, 9 a.m.
Monday, Sept 12: Rams at 49ers, Week 1 opener, Levi’s Stadium, 7:20 p.m., ESPN