Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers defensive back
Jimmie Ward played on Saturday night against the Kansas City Chiefs just days after returning to team drills. He suffered a fractured collarbone in May.
Guard Joshua Garnett also returned to practice after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated finger. He, however, was among the players who did not suit up on Saturday.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has some tough decisions to make over the next week. His roster is a lot deeper than it has been in recent years. When it comes time to cut the roster down to 53 players, Shanahan knows he's going to be cutting loose some good talent.
Some of the first to go might be those who haven't been able to prove themselves able to stay healthy. Ward has the benefit of being a versatile player who can play multiple positions. He showed that against the Chiefs playing both free safety and in the slot. It so happens that the 49ers might be able to use him in the latter come Week 1, with
K'Waun Williams' status for the season opener in question.
Garnett might not have that benefit going for him.
"We know that he's got the ability," Shanahan said of Garnett, "but I was just telling our team we've got to cut down to 53 here in six days, I think. And there's a lot more than 53 NFL players in there. And it's not just about ability and who's the best, it's about who's going to be available. It's not just our 53 for Week 1; it's who's going to be the 53 who we think can play with us throughout the year.
"The last couple of years, I think we've been in some situations where you can't always pick that. You have to pick on the guys with the upside and things like that, but the most important thing are guys who are going to be available.
"I know Josh wanted to go tonight. He'll go next week, though. I mean, he has a legit injury. He's got a cast on. Hopefully, he'll be able to play through that and show us that. He's competing with some guys, and there's a lot of guys on our roster in that same situation."
Unlike the last time the 49ers visited Arrowhead Stadium, the team escaped Kansas City relatively healthy. The only in-game injury Shanahan noted was that fullback
Kyle Juszczyk suffered a hand contusion after hitting his hand against a helmet.
That's relatively good news for a team that has been struck by the injury bug this offseason.
Shanahan expects to get several players back to practice during the upcoming week. The coach
joined KNBR on Friday and shared that he expects running back
Jerick McKinnon, center
Weston Richburg, and pass rusher
Dee Ford to practice this week.
Bad news on the injury front keeps coming for the San Francisco 49ers, who on Friday announced they'd be without tight end George Kittle against the New York Jets this Sunday due to a knee injury.
Kittle has been battling through the injury in recent days after sustaining it during the 49ers' Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Shanahan told reporters Friday the injury is one that would have resulted in a typical player being declared out earlier in the week, but Kittle's past resilience to injuries caused the team to wait until the last minute to make a decision.
"We never really do that with George because of what he's shown us over these three years with him," Shanahan said during his Friday press conference. "We would have held out two more days to wait and
Running back Raheem Mostert was the first to get into the end zone for the San Francisco 49ers. He looked fast as he scampered 76 yards downfield past Arizona Cardinals defenders on his way into the end zone after hauling in a pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. How fast?
Raheem Mostert is gone in a flash for the 76-yard TD! @RMos_8Ball #FTTB📺: #AZvsSF
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters on Monday, the day after the team's 24-20 season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He provided some injury updates during the Zoom call.
Fans are probably eagerly awaiting an update on George Kittle, and Shanahan provided one.
The All-Pro tight end suffered a knee sprain during the first half against the Cardinals. He left for the locker room just before halftime to be examined. Kittle returned with his teammates in the second half and played for the remainder of the game.
"He has a knee sprain. We'll see how he comes in on Wednesday," Shanahan told reporters. "He was a little sore today, but we'll wait to see how he is on Wednesday to see if he's able to practice or be able to go
