Linebacker Eric Reid, who started the season as the San Francisco 49ers' strong safety, could be moving back to his old position. Safety Jimmie Ward will be headed to injured reserve with a fractured forearm that he sustained on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. That means the 49ers are getting thin in the defensive backfield.
"We've still got a few options," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday. "Today, we just finished up all our stuff from yesterday. To be honest with you guys, I'd be leaning toward getting him back to strong safety and getting [Jaquiski] Tartt back there at free [safety] but we'll discuss it over the next 24 hours."
Last week, Shanahan would not commit to Reid's move from safety to linebacker as being permanent.
Reid, who was eased back into action during a Week 6 contest against the Washington Redskins after missing three games with a PCL injury, started splitting snaps at inside linebacker with Ray-Ray Armstrong against the Dallas Cowboys.
Reid is in the final year of his contract. Last week, Reid told reporters the team has not committed to him beyond this season and there have been no discussions surrounding a long-term contract.
"This is my contract year, so when they broke the news to me, I wondered what the reasoning was to make the move," Reid told reporters. "They were open and honest with me and told me they really believe it's best for the team and I can really excel at the position."
The 49ers could be getting linebacker Reuben Foster back for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. The rookie missed the game in Philadelphia due to a rib injury.
"I hope Reuben will be ready this week," Shanahan said. "He was close last week. He was limited all week in practices. Felt pretty good about him on Friday. After that plane ride, when he woke up Saturday, he was having some back spasms. It was very tight and we worked him out before the game on Sunday and you could just tell his body wasn't ready to go.
"I'm hoping he responds better this week. I was pretty optimistic about it last week and it didn't work out so I don't want to jump to conclusions on that. We'll see how this week goes and hopefully, he'll get better."