SANTA CLARA, Calif. — At this early point in training camp, the San Francisco 49ers’ interior offensive line is in disarray. Right guard Spencer Burford broke his hand last week, and backup Jon Feliciano has missed practice with an undisclosed injury.

That has opened the door for newcomer Dominick Puni to work with the first team for the past two training sessions, including Saturday’s session in the unusually cold weather.

“He’s done a really good job,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We haven’t had any pads yet, which is always a challenge for guys, especially in protection. But he’s stepped in, gotten more reps and I’m excited for him.”

After a day off Sunday, the 49ers will wear pads for the first time this camp on Monday. That should give offensive linemen a better chance to protect themselves against the defensive line’s bull rushes, which have provided significant pressure during the first four practices of camp.

But despite the early struggles, the line stabilized as Saturday’s session wore on. Quarterback Brock Purdy completed his final 10 passes. Reserve Joshua Dobbs, who competes with Brandon Allen for the No. 2 QB position, had what was his best practice yet. Dobbs finished 10 of 11, including perfect strikes on deep outs to receivers Chris Conley and Danny Gray.

The 49ers have no shortage of weapons at the skill position, and that’s true even with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk holding out while his rep negotiates a contract extension. However, the offense lagged in pass protection last season — the 49ers ranked 20th in ESPN’s pass block win rate — and common sense dictates that improving there could help Purdy deliver an even more efficient 2024.

That’s why finding a solution with Trent Williams is paramount to ending the holdout of the star left tackle. And it’s also why the 49ers selected Puni in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Puni didn’t allow a sack in his two seasons at Kansas. His college profile, with a resume that’s stronger in pass blocking than run blocking, differs from most other linemen the 49ers have drafted under Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. The 49ers had noticeably prioritized run blocking with their O-line prospects before selecting Puni.

“He’s a strong, big body,” offensive line coach Chris Foerster said Friday. “He’s just got a lot — he’s not bigger than most — but he’s going to really cover the pocket. He plays with a great anchor. He’s extremely intelligent. He’s a really good player. He’s a special guy, and he just hasn’t played the position that long. And with our system, it’s a little bit of a change for him. So there’s going to be a learning curve, but he’s got something.”

The 49ers also appear to be experimenting in midfield, where starter Jake Brendel missed the spring schedule with knee tendinitis. Brendel is back, but he didn’t take on the full workload Saturday, even after taking a day off Friday. Ben Bartch has been playing the first-team center position for multiple snaps in the second half of practice, while third-year Nick Zakelj is seeing more prominent reps at center and guard.

“They’re all fighting for those inside spots. … When you lose guys there — you don’t have Burford, Feliciano missed a little bit of time, Brendel gets some time off, he’s not going to be there every day,” Shanahan said. “So guys have to be able to back up. They have to be able to be a center, they have to be able to be a guard. They have to know all three.”

Puni is getting the most notable crash course because the 49ers have focused all of his efforts at right guard thus far. Even as he’s taken those first-team snaps the past two days, he’s also been working with the third-team line at the position — presumably to get as many reps as possible should the 49ers need him there early in his career.

Considering that right guard was a particularly vulnerable spot for Purdy last season (the 49ers replaced Burford with Feliciano in the starting lineup late in the season) and that Burford is expected to miss an estimated three weeks, it’s a specific focus for Puni that makes a lot of sense.

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• The handful of 49ers who had the day off Friday returned to action, including running back Christian McCaffrey, who darted from a crowded scrimmage line into the open field on one of his signature cuts early in the session.

Later, new 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell held McCaffrey in pass coverage along the sideline. Purdy threw the ball perfectly back-shoulder, but the running back couldn’t catch what would have been a tough catch, thanks to Campbell’s tight coverage.

Campbell, 31, was an All-Pro for the Green Bay Packers in 2021, but his play has regressed since then. He allowed the highest passer rating in coverage of any qualifying linebacker in the NFL last season. But Campbell’s ability to keep up with McCaffrey on Saturday could be a promising sign that he still has energy left.

The 49ers will likely need a replacement for linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who is expected to miss at least the start of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

• Veteran tight end Eric Saubert has established himself as the favorite to take the No. 2 role behind George Kittle, but several other players could still make strides at the position. Sophomore Brayden Willis, who had a productive spring, has remained active on the receiving end. And then there’s veteran Logan Thomas, who caught 55 passes for the Washington Commanders last season but will need to develop into a better blocker to see playing time in Shanahan’s system.

The 49ers have given new TE Logan Thomas a focused blocking assignment. Thomas caught 55 passes for Washington last year, but he’ll need to adapt to SF’s blocking demands to showcase his receiving skills.

Today it seemed like some good work had been done in that area: photo.twitter.com/t1Cy5nUga9

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) July 27, 2024

The 49ers typically have four tight ends on their 53-man roster. That fourth and final spot could come down to Thomas and Cameron Latu, who is hoping to recover from a tough rookie training camp and knee surgery.

Latu threw multiple passes in camp last season before going on the injured list. The 49ers had him in their sights for the first time this camp on Saturday, but both throws were incomplete. Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir broke up the first and Allen threw too high on the second.

• Shanahan sees Monday’s pad work as the real beginning of a position battle.

“As a coach, you try not to make any big judgments until the pads come on,” he said, “because then things become a lot more realistic.”

(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)