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On Thursday, San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Reuben Foster will take part in his second practice since suffering a high-ankle sprain against the Carolina Panthers on September 10.
He was limited during Wednesday's practice, which was his first, but looked good considering he had missed a month due to the injury.
Prior to Thursday's scheduled 1:50 p.m. practice, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh met with the media and shared what he saw from Foster the day before.
"He looked pretty good," Saleh said. "He was excited, champing at the bit to get out at practice and he looked good."
Prior to his injury, Foster had been paired up with All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman during training camp, preseason, and for a handful of Week 1 plays. The tandem looked good.
"For those two, when Malcolm [Smith] went down, they had a good month where they were working together," Saleh said. "Defense is so much about communication and getting comfortable with the guy you're working next to and so they got very comfortable with each other and they were working at a very high level so it was very unfortunate that Reuben went down."
It is unknown whether or not Foster will suit up for Sunday's road game against the Washington Redskins. That decision won't be made on Thursday and is likely to be a game-time decision by the 49ers medical and coaching staffs. Saleh said the team will use the entire week to determine Foster's status for Sunday.
The same goes for safety Eric Reid, according to Saleh. Like Foster, Reid is returning to practice this week. He suffering a PCL injury against the Seattle Seahawks on September 17. Reid, like the rookie linebacker, was also limited during Wednesday's practice.
"I hope the doctors officially clear me," Foster said with a smile in the 49ers locker room prior to practice. "I don't know (if I will play). Hopefully, they see a child in me -- like I want a candy. I want some candy. Let me have some candy."
Foster has been doing everything he can to stay sharp during his rehabilitation. It appears to have paid off. On Wednesday, Foster was able to slip right into his old spot on the defense and pick up where he left off. Saleh shared some observations about his young defensive star.
"He's been out there every day," Saleh said. "Walkthroughs and all that stuff so he's still getting all those mental reps. And yesterday, he was sharp. Lined up, got people lined up. It was really cool to see because he hasn't really actually taken a live rep since whenever he got hurt and to see the way he commanded the huddle and the way he got people lined up was very encouraging."
Saleh was asked if Foster might see some action at the Mike linebacker spot should Bowman spend some plays on the sideline to rest as he hesitantly did against the Indianapolis Colts.
"We'd like to keep Foster playing one position," Saleh answered. "Having a rookie bounce back and forth, that would be doing him an injustice."
As for Bowman's reaction to coming off the field on Sunday, Saleh addressed that as well.
"I would expect Bowman to be the most angry human being in the entire world," Saleh declared. "I would expect nothing else and I would expect him to fight tooth and nail to come off the field and I would expect him to fight tooth and nail to get back on the field. And that's why Bowman is a special football player and that's why he's been fantastic his entire career."
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
