49ers Notebook: Kaelon Black shines; Brock Purdy pays up; No setbacks for George Kittle; Avoiding a trap game vs. Dolphins

Rookie running back Kaelon Black showed he is ready to take on whatever role the San Francisco 49ers ask of him. Black finished with 14 carries for 65 yards in Week 1's win over the Los Angeles Rams, four more carries than starter Christian McCaffrey.

Black was added to Thursday's injury report as a limited participant with a groin issue. However, there doesn't seem to be much reason for concern.

"I think we're just being smart with him," head coach Kyle Shanahan said during his weekly interview on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "He was a little tight today, so we didn't push him too hard."

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's practice, quarterback Brock Purdy discussed the impact Black has already made on the offense.

"Obviously, [he] feels like a violent runner, feels explosive, feels very quick, twitchy," Purdy said. "And I think he can read the gaps in the run game really well. A guy that, obviously, we can help out Christian, too, sort of allowing Christian to be fresh and stuff and be able to give Kaelon some reps in there. And when Christian comes back out there, it feels great.

"Regardless, I know Christian can handle that load and stuff, but it's cool to have a young guy in there and be able to handle our offense and stuff, too, both run game, pass game. He had a great first outing and first showing, so he's just got to keep it up."

49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak also praised the rookie's early impact, believing his continued production could take some of the workload off McCaffrey's shoulders. McCaffrey led the NFL in touches last season with 413.

Kubiak noted that having multiple players who can run the football effectively creates problems for opposing defenses.

"There's two guys who are going to carry the ball who are a problem, and I think that's one thing," Kubiak said. "And Kaelon's just been great since he's been here. I think aside from wanting a rotation with Christian to kind of spare him a little bit in the game, we just want to get Kaelon touches. He's a good player. He deserves touches. And so, anytime you got multiple players touching the ball who are affecting the game in that way, it's a good thing for your offense.

"I'm glad we have two backs. I think we have three backs. I think [RB] Jordan [James] is capable of doing that too. [WR] Deebo [Samuel] is capable of doing that too. So, I like where our backs are at. I like the way they're progressing, the way that they can rotate with Christian. It helps our offense. It's body blows on a defense. It's what we want. So that's going to be the goal as we go week-to-week."

McCaffrey dealt with some cramping during the game against the Rams. However, Kubiak made it clear the plan was always to rotate the two running backs, even if Black ultimately got a few more carries than expected.

"I think the way the carries kind of came out in the end wasn't intentional," Kubiak said. "Kaelon had a few more carries than Christian, but that was kind of a product of, yeah, Christian did have the cramps, but then we're in a four-minute mode at the end where we're giving Kaelon the carries. We also had a really unbalanced run-pass ratio through the first quarter. I think we were three to 18 or something. So, Christian's in for a lot of those plays.

"It's just kind of the way it played out. And that wasn't really intentional, but the rotation and keeping two backs going was very intentional."

Run-game boost

The 49ers averaged 5.8 yards per rushing attempt against what many considered a stout Rams defense. That's a significant improvement over the 3.8 yards per attempt San Francisco averaged last season, when it ranked 30th in the NFL.

"I just thought our backs ran really well," Kubiak said. "I thought our O-line played very well. I thought our receivers blocked very well. So collectively, in the run game, I thought everyone was pretty tied together and played really well. We had games like that last year, but it was inconsistent, bottom line.

"I thought there was a good rotation with the backs, where I thought either back who touched the ball, to me, they were explosive, they were powerful. I think all those things kind of built up to a good day running the ball.

"It's just one game. We have to keep getting better and keep pushing our guys so we can try to be that way every week, but we've got our work cut out for us again this week."

Purdy acknowledged that re-establishing the 49ers' run game identity was an offseason emphasis.

"It opens up our play-pass and then drop-back passes and all the things," Purdy said. "It all ties together for our offense. And so for us, running the ball here is huge. So, [run game coordinator] Joe Graves has done a good job coming in and sort of re-establishing, 'Hey, this is who we are,' and having meetings and watching the O-line be intentional throughout camp and stuff by getting up to the second level and running hard and having the backs hit the right gaps and taking it one gap at a time.

"These are all things that I've heard since I've been a rookie here, but just harping back on it. We need this to get going for us to have success. And I thought we showed that [against the Rams], running the ball really well. And those help get drives going and help sustain drives. And in the pass game, it opens up and stuff when teams load the box and things like that. So, that's who we are, and we've got to keep it up every single week throughout the season."

Avoiding a trap game vs. Dolphins

After knocking off the Super Bowl favorite Rams last week, the 49ers will face a Dolphins team that enters Week 2 as a significant underdog. San Francisco is currently a 13.5-point favorite over Miami.

An interesting tidbit about the two rosters circulated on social media Thursday. While the 49ers have a combined 54 Pro Bowl selections on their active roster, the Dolphins have just one.

The 49ers, however, refuse to take Miami lightly after their impressive Week 1 performance against the Rams.

"It's the National Football League," defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said. "You better come ready every single week, or there's a piece of humble pie waiting around the corner for you. Our head coach preaches that. It's our building. It's the mentality. To say you don't worry about it, I'd be lying, but we're definitely going to teach that message."

No setbacks for George Kittle

Tight end George Kittle enjoyed a rest day on Wednesday but returned to the practice field Thursday. He is coming off his first game since suffering a torn Achilles in January.

Kittle's recovery was remarkably fast, and 49ers fans will be happy to hear that he is feeling good heading into Week 2.

"I'm so confident in my Achilles, the calf, the whole thing," Kittle said. "So I think that's pretty fun. There's been zero setbacks. Zero 'step backs.'"

Kittle finished Week 1 with two catches for 12 yards while playing 30 snaps, just under half of the offense's total. That number could increase as the season progresses, especially with Jake Tonges (MCL) out for the remainder of the season. Kittle has played at least 80% of the offensive snaps in every season since 2018 when available.

Embarrassed Brock Purdy

Purdy showed up for Thursday's post-practice press conference decked out in Iowa Hawkeye gear. That was embarrassing for the 49ers quarterback, who played his college football at Iowa State.

Purdy's Cyclones lost to Iowa 16-13 over the weekend, resulting in a lost bet to Kittle, a former Hawkeye.

"Any Hawkeye logo looks ugly to me," Purdy told reporters. "Yeah, it sucks."

Purdy admits, however, that losing the annual bet to Kittle wasn't as bad as it could have been. He even believes he has topped Kittle in terms of consequences over the years.

"Honestly, I don't think this is that bad compared to what George has done—the overalls and the cowboy hat, walking into a game, him wearing my helmet. I feel like I've come up with the good ideas, so hopefully, we get a little more spicy as the years come."

In Kittle's defense, Purdy did have to show up at a 2023 press conference wearing the Iowa mascot's head.

Kittle did give Purdy some credit for taking on the latest bet.

"I think we were 20-point favorites and he still made the bet, so I appreciate him for that," Kittle said on Thursday.

The All-Pro tight end is already planning future bets and hoping to continue embarrassing his starting quarterback.

"I already thought of something better for next year, too, so I'm looking forward to that," Kittle added.

More info on: Kaelon Black, Jordan James, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Jake Tonges