The 49ers are back in Santa Clara after their two-week trip to the Eastern time zone after a trip that featured another rash of injuries.
Coach Kyle Shanahan was happy to see All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams (high ankle sprain), defensive end Nick Bosa (groin) and safety Jimmie Ward (broken hand) return to practice Wednesday in a limited fashion. There’s a chance all three players could be back for Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl 54.
Like everyone else, Shanahan is fed up with all the injuries San Francisco has endured through the first six weeks of the season.
“Everyone gets frustrated with that – coaches, fans, players,” Shanahan said. “I’ve gotten more hardened with it, I think. So I try to just deal with it.”
Williams has been out since he got leg-whipped in Week 3 against the Denver Broncos while blocking. Ward started the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and returned for a whopping one play, as he broke his hand on the opening kickoff against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. Bosa had to exit in Week 5 at halftime with a groin injury and missed Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic shared videos of Williams and Ward on the practice field Wednesday.
Ward is hoping to play with a club on his left hand after undergoing surgery on Oct. 11. Shanahan said the 49ers will test out Ward in practice this week to see how comfortable he feels.
“We’re gonna see how it goes out there with his cast and how he feels doing it, what we can get away with and he’s safe with and still perform,” Shanahan said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
The 49ers have held up well with Jaylon Moore, Mike McGlinchey and Blake Hance – they gave up no sacks on Sunday – but Williams is one of the best players in the league. Bosa was leading the league with six sacks when he got hurt, but has currently fallen 0.5 sacks off the pace of Pittsburgh’s Alex Highsmith.
“Getting anybody back helps, especially those two guys would be huge,” Shanahan said.
David Lombardi of The Athletic shared his impressions from Wednesday's practice.
Cornerback Mooney Ward (groin) and McGlinchey (left calf) were both injured in Sunday’s game against the Falcons and didn’t practice Wednesday.
Strong safety Talanoa Hufanga has had a notable week. He exited the first drive of the Falcons game to be evaluated for a concussion but returned to finish out the game. Hufanga landed in concussion protocol the following day and didn’t practice Wednesday.
As for cornerback Jason Verrett, Shanahan said, “he’s good to go” as he rehabs from last year’s ACL surgery.
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