head coach Ron Rivera is addressing the media right now. He said putting on pads changes the evaluation of players. It helps for some, but others it changes how they looked in just helmets

Rivera said he saw good movement from Alex Smith in pads. He's a wily veteran, Rivera said, and he went through his progressions.

Troy Apke played well at free safety today. Rivera said he has sharp movements and he is a smart players. Rivera also emphasized the importance of finding the right combination of players, so the rotation could change every day.

Rivera said he watched players coming back from leg injuries like Reuben Foster, Alex Smith and Bryce Love. Rivera said it was fun to watch them because he could see them getting more confident in their legs.

Since there were no OTAs and minicamps, Rivera knew some players would be a little rusty today. So, he stressed again that they need to do things the way the coaches ask of them. If that happens, then the glory will go to them.

Rivera said Jonathan Allen came up to him during practice and asked him how much he missed it. And honestly, he does. It's exciting, Rivera said, to see everyone on the field in pads again.

Rivera said Ryan Kerrigan has really taken to putting his hand on the ground, which has been fun to see.

Adding on to what Rivera said about finding the right combination: he said while Haskins was working with the first offensive line mostly, but he was working with the second group of receivers as well as the first bunch.

Rivera takes some time to talk about Jason Wright. He's excited to work with him. He knew him as a player, and now he's getting to know him as a person.