San Francisco 49ers tackle Joe Staley suffered a fractured orbital bone beneath his right eye in a Week 8 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. The injury forced the veteran offensive lineman to miss last week's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Shockingly, one game is all Staley will miss. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting the offensive lineman will not only play on Sunday against the New York Giants, but he will start. The 49ers didn't initially anticipate getting Staley back into the lineup until after the team's bye week.
Two weeks after fracturing his orbital bone, 49ers OT Joe Staley will start today against the NY Giants, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 12, 2017
Staley's return is good news for rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard, who behind a reshuffled offensive line last week, left the game uninjured but battered. It's also good news for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has not yet taken a snap with his new team and is eager to prove himself on the football field – at some point in the near future.
Staley was a full participant in practice on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and did not appear on the team's official injury report. Following practice, he assured reporters that he would play on Sunday.
"Yeah, I'm playing," Staley said via our friends over at Niners Wire.
"(The eye) feels fine," Staley continued. "I knew I was playing on like Tuesday, but I didn't know if I was supposed to give it away or anything. I was kind of being a butthead to you guys. But yeah, I'm playing. It's good. I saw the doctor on Tuesday, everything was good."
Only four 49ers players are ruled out for Sunday's game. They are tight end George Kittle (ankle), linebacker Elijah Lee (knee), defensive end Aaron Lynch (calf), and wide receiver Trent Taylor (ribs). Defensive end Solomon Thomas (knee) and cornerback K'Waun Williams (quadricep) are listed as questionable.
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