The 49ers expected to come out of the bye week with their health trending in the right direction. While it’s still probably not where they’d like it to be, they should get some key players back immediately with a handful of others to follow.
Wednesday was their second practice since the bye week, but the first where they were required to list participation.
Here’s what the first post-bye practice report looked like:
Did not participate
DL Arik Armstead (foot, ankle)
OL Aaron Banks (not injury related – personal matter)
DL Samson Ebukam (quadricep, Achilles)
LT Trent Williams (not injury related – resting player)
Only four absences with two non-injury related is a strong sign for the 49ers as they work to climb back to the top of the division. Ebukam’s quad injury happened during Monday’s bonus practice. He’s been playing through some Achilles tendinitis, but the quad issue now has his status for Sunday in question. The club also expects to get Armstead back after the bye, though it sounds like that won’t happen for another week or two.
Limited participation
LB Dre Greenlaw (calf)
CB Jason Verrett (knee)
Greenlaw missed Week 8 against the Rams because of a calf issue he suffered against the Chiefs the week prior. A limited practice is a good sign for him. Verrett is still working back from an ACL tear in Week 1 of last season, though he could make his season debut Sunday night.
Full participation
WR Jauan Jennings (hamstring)
FB Kyle Juszczyk (finger)
WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring)
DB Jimmie Ward (hand)
Great signs all around here since Jennings, Juszczyk and Samuel were all out for Week 8. Full practices Wednesday bode well for their availability Sunday.
Not listed
RB Elijah Mitchell (knee)
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee)
OL Colton McKivitz (knee)
This trio all had MCL sprains and all had their practice windows opened for Monday’s bonus practice. They have a max of three weeks to practice without being activated. Teams don’t have to list the participation levels of players returning from IR before they’re activated, but Shanahan said none of the three had a rep count for Wednesday’s practice.
