SANTA CLARA — Coach Kyle Shanahan wisely stood still rather than break up the first fight of 49ers training camp, which predictably coincided with the first day in pads.

Shanahan let the fracas play out 15 yards in front of him. Here is what he saw as a distant bystander at practice while coping with a concussion from his July 14 car crash:

Once tight end Jake Tonges caught a pass downfield, linebacker Fred Warner tackled then confronted him and seemingly taunted him to spark the fight. Other players rushed to the scene, with linebacker Dre Greenlaw tugging right tackle Colton McKivitz to the ground, prompting fullback Kyle Juszczyk to enter the fray and a dogpile ensued.

Alas, no one emerged with visible wounds and no one was sent to the showers, although only about seven plays ensued before the 90-minute practice was done.

“Fred has a menacing aura, him and Greenlaw. Having them behind me adds confidence,” defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa said. “Obviously you talk about ‘protect the team.’ But I just know when it comes to guys like that, they have one speed, so it’s hard.”

Pushing and shoving broke out six plays before the Warner-Tonges tussle. Once Christian McCaffrey caught a Brock Purdy pass, he got pushed out of bounds and to the ground by Greenlaw, then popped up and pushed Greenlaw back.

“Dre is my favorite football player in the NFL and has been for a long time, and it’s because of stuff like that,” McCaffrey said after practice on KNBR 680-AM. “Same way you fight with brothers as a kid, sometimes you get in scuffles with your teammates. I’m glad it stopped at the pushing. That’s not my first pick for guys I’d want to fight.”

Added Greenlaw, also on KNBR: “It’s blown out of proportion. We’re just playing a little football and things get a little hot. It’s part of the game.”

This was the 49ers’ fourth official practice of camp and the first that featured live contact as they put on the pads.

Chris Foerster, Shanahan’s fill-in for some head coaching duties, shared his message at the pre-practice team meeting: “I was all, ‘Protect the team. Don’t get in fights.’ I did a great job with that one, right?”

Well, Foerster is also the 49ers’ offensive line czar and no scuffles broke out in one-on-one drills with defensive linemen. Still, watching Warner and Greenlaw tag-team a scrum wasn’t a surprise.

“When you get guys who are competitive, it doesn’t matter how much a veteran or a leader a guy is. In competitive situations, fuses get lit,” Foerster said. “First day in pads, guys are trying to set the tempo and tone. I don’t think it’s anything more than a Day 1 issue.”

SAMUEL’S FAN CLUB

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was en route to the 49ers facility Friday, a day after agreeing on a one-year contract after leaving the 49ers via trade to Washington last year.

Said Mike Evans: “Deebo’s my guy. I met him at the Pro Bowl in 2021. We hit it off. We were hanging out all week. He’s a cool guy and I love the way he plays the game. He will bring what did before: energy and versatility.”

ONE-ON-ONE LINEMEN

Left tackle Trent Williams dapped up rookie pass rusher Romello Height before one-on-one lineman drills, and then after Williams won their one-rep faceoff, he moved off to the side to take on seven of Nick Bosa’s pass-rush moves.

“Nick needed to get some work not in the live setting,” Foerster said. “They looked good over there. They’re working hard.”

Height had perhaps the linemen drill’s best pass rush when he went low to beat fellow rookie Enrique Cruz Jr. Other winning moves came from undrafted rookie defensive linemen Mikail Kamara and Bryson Eason.

‘KYLE BEING KYLE’

Not only is Shanahan watching 11-on-11 action from behind the defense each practice, he’s been able to review film afterward, although he noted Tuesday that it does cause him fatigue and headaches related to his concussion.

“He’s Kyle to me. He seems really good,” Foerster said. “I do think that I don’t know what happens after the recovery, and I think he’s challenging himself and pushing himself. But I see him every day, and I think he stays a little bit more. I’m not sure of the whole routine, but I see Kyle being Kyle a whole lot right now.

“(The film review) seems pretty good, maybe minus as many ribbings and jokes as he tries to get me with or something like that. For the most part, it’s pretty straightforward, correcting the tape, and he’s really good.”

EXTRA POINTS

Defensive tackle Alfred Collins (shoulder) was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list, but did not participate in team action. … Foerster had no injury updates on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (right knee) nor running back Jordan James (rib). Others still out of action are wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf), safety Malik Mustapha (hamstring), defensive tackle Gracen Halton (knee), and offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (ankle). Defensive tackle C.J. West was not present. … The 49ers signed tight end Josiah Deguara and wide receiver Trenton Irwin; waived were defensive back Derrick Canteen and tight end Tanner McLachlan (injured).