SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Talanoa Hufanga playfully threw some jabs at Trent Williams and talked trash with former teammates, Mike McGlinchey relished some one-on-reps with Nick Bosa and Dre Greenlaw exchanged some hugs with Kyle Shanahan.
When the Broncos came to town for a joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers that was a valuable preparation tool for the season there was even more meaning for some of the former Niners who now call Denver home.
“I wouldn’t say it was emotional. I was very happy,†said Hufanga, the former All-Pro safety who signed with the Broncos this offseason. “I was super excited to go. I’m talking to every guy during the rep. I’m running up to Christian (McCaffrey) just yelling at him while I’m running. Those are the fun times.â€
Greenlaw didn’t get to practice as he is still nursing a quadriceps injury, but he did make the trip and got to see plenty of former teammates.
“I got a lot of time to talk with him,†Niners linebacker Fred Warner said. “I know he wanted to be out there suited up, but he’s got his own plan going right now. But obviously love being around Dre, love him to death. Obviously still wish he was on our side, but hey, it’s his turn to kind of be the guy over there. Obviously I wish him nothing but success.â€
While Hufanga and Greenlaw had plenty of former teammates in Niners uniforms after playing in San Francisco last season, there has been significantly more turnover since McGlinchey and Jones last played with the 49ers.
McGlinchey said he did get to catch up with former teammates and coaches on the offensive line, but the defensive front was almost entirely new outside of Bosa.
“I did it for four years so it is very good work,†he said. “He’s one of the best in the world at what he does. Certainly any time you get to have the opportunity to go against competition like that, it’s very helpful.â€
The practice that was scripted by Broncos coach Sean Payton and Shanahan was heavy work on situational work, including plenty of work on the two-minute drill, red zone and third downs. Denver got the edge on both sides of the ball early in practice with Bo Nix making some big plays on offense and the defensive line being disruptive defensively.
The 49ers did respond late, especially on offense with Purdy throwing TD passes to Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson.
“We’re here to learn. We’re not here to come here and be perfect,†Hufanga said. “Everybody strives to be perfect, don’t get me wrong. But if we came in here and we beat them every single rep, then there’s no growth in that.â€
The practice was intense, but went off without any serious scuffles. There was one minor dustup during special teams when Broncos rookie receiver Joaquin Davis got into a jawing match with some 49ers, but that was the extent of it.
“That was Sean’s number one message,†McGlinchey said. “He’s like, ‘We’re not flying across the country getting fights. We’re going to play football, we are going to do a clean operation, we’re going to do our job, and that’s what we’re here to do.â€
The teams will take Friday off before playing the exhibition opener on Saturday night. Payton said he plans to give most of his starters some work in the game, while Shanahan said only a handful of his top-line players might get into the game for the Niners.
Mykel Williams leaves with injury
Niners first-round defensive end Mykel Williams left practice early after injuring his left knee. Shanahan said the initial report was that Williams hyperextended the knee and he likely would miss about a week.
Williams has played well so far in practice and is slated to start this season.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was out with a back injury but could return next week. Rookie running back Jordan James had surgery on a broken finger and will miss a couple of weeks.
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