49ers Notes: Practice returns, Aiyuk's snub and contract, and high praise for Shanahan

The San Francisco 49ers are in the midst of a much-needed bye week, and held their lone press availability of the week.

It was an opportunity for reflection, along with heaps of praise for Kyle Shanahan.

The most notable part of Thursday's practice was the return of Arik Armstead to the practice field. He hasn't played in a game since the 49ers' Week 13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and their run defense has suffered massively.

He had missed those games with knee and foot injuries. The emphasis was on the plantar fasciitis issue in his foot which dates back to last season, when Armstead missed eight games. In his stead, Javon Kinlaw was injected in base downs, which was rough from a rough defense perspective.

Kinlaw, though a solid pass rusher this season, has been a horrific run defender. Per Pro Football Focus, out of 142 qualified defensive tackles, he ranks seventh-worst as a run defender, with a 31.3 run defense grade. He has a 70.3 pass rush grade.

Armstead didn't seem to be going full speed, but he has another week to ramp up. It appears he'll be back in the fold, which also benefits the 49ers' pass rush. The best production of Armstead's career has come in the playoffs, in which he has 7.0 sacks and 11 QB hits in nine games.

Also back on the field was safety George Odum, whose 21-day injured reserve practice window was opened Wednesday. He had a blue non-contact jersey and right elbow brace on.

While Dre Greenlaw (Achilles tendinitis) and Jon Feliciano (back) were not involved, Ji'Ayir Brown (knee), Tashaun Gipson Sr. (quad) and Ambry Thomas (hand) were all back on the field.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Thursday's availability was George Kittle's heaping praise of Kyle Shanahan.

Kittle was asked about Shanahan with the context of him now being the fourth-longest tenured head coach in the NFL, following the firings/parting ways of Bill Belichick (24 years) and Pete Carroll (14 years). Shanahan has now been with the 49ers for seven years.

The tight end, who has, on occasion, frustrated Shanahan — a perfectionist — with some of his ad-libbing, was effusive in his praise. He said he's seen tangible growth in his approach.

His anecdote about Javon Hargrave, an eight-year veteran, and what Kittle has learned in the last few years, are enlightening.

Here's what Kittle says in the video above, when asked how Shanahan has changed:

"There's a lot of similarities. There are a lot of differences.

I think Kyle has grown just as much as I have. Just thinking back, his team meetings, his installs, his offense, everything, the way he's adapted to changing times on offense.

The way that he's changed his meetings. He used to let players talk the night before games. And the last couple years, his team meetings are phenomenal. The way he describes football, the way that he teaches football to offense, defense, and special teams guys.

He's been such a great teacher. I'd say that's been one of the coolest things.

I remember just talking to [Javon] Hargrave. He's like, 'I've never sat in a team meeting where Kyle explains the purpose of this run style versus this run style and why we're trying to get D-lineman to do certain things. No one's ever talked to me about that before. Like I've learned 20 things in that one, 40-minute team meeting.'

So something like that, it's just really fun to be a person like that because I've been playing football since I was five years old, but I've learned more in this seven years — specifically these last three or four years — than I probably didn't my first 26."

That's pretty monumental praise from someone has been with Shanahan from the very start. He was part of the first two ugly years, and has seen this operation built from the ground up. It's an eye-opening reflection.

A week with no opponent and with the regular season in the rearview offers a unique opportunity for reflection.

It's one of the few times players can take a brief step back without taking their foot fully off the gas. There's an appreciation for what was accomplished over the past 18 weeks and the months of preparation which preceded it, coupled with the knowledge that none of it matters without a championship.

For Brandon Aiyuk, it was an odd moment. Despite racking up another 1,000-yard season and being the second-most efficient receiver in the NFL (17.9 yards per catch, second to George Pickens), he was passed over in Pro Bowl honors for Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb, Mike Evans and A.J. Brown.

He was also the second-highest-graded receiver in the league by PFF with a 92.3 grade, trailing only fringe MVP candidate, Tyreek Hill (93.7 grade).

It's a head-scratching result given that Aiyuk's 1,342 receiving yards were seventh in the league on the 36th-most targets. But Pro Bowl voting is based on stats and name recognition. Aiyuk was behind Nacua, Lamb and Brown in yards (only Lamb had more touchdowns, with 12), while Evans had a tied-for-league-high 13 TDs.

He admitted he was disappointed, but looked to one encouraging point: all those guys have to go through the 49ers to win the NFC.

"Yeah, it was [disappointing]," Aiyuk said. "It was tough at first. But we'll see. Pretty much every one of those guys at one point, they have to come through San Francisco, so it's all good."

Aiyuk acknowledged that he would appreciate accolades, and that he didn't reach all of the goals that he set for himself this season.

When asked where he's grown this year — whether as a player or a person — he spoke to resilience through challenging circumstances.

"I think just through the years, you get tested in certain different things whether that's at home, here, on the football field, in the building, wherever it may be," Aiyuk said. "I think just getting used to things happening and being able to continue to move forward and just maneuver through some different situations."

Of course, this all brings us to the question the 49ers have with Aiyuk, which is whether they will extend him, which seems likely, and for how much. He will enter the offseason heading towards his fifth-year option, worth north of $14 million.

Asked about his contract situation, Aiyuk didn't give much information, or at least didn't have any to offer.

"My agent keeps calling me, but I ain't talked to him yet," Aiyuk said.