49ers-Jets Injury Report: No Dee Ford, George Kittle, Jason Verrett at practice; Ahkello Witherspoon returns

The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their Week 2 contest against the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Neither tight end George Kittle (knee) nor cornerback Jason Verrett (hamstring) practiced. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said this week that he hopes Kittle can practice on Friday, but even if he can't, that doesn't necessarily rule him out for Sunday's game.

Defensive end Dee Ford also did not practice. The injury report notes that it was due to a neck injury. The pass rusher was a full participant on Wednesday.

Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (concussion) returned to practice, albeit in a blue no-contact jersey. He is in the concussion protocol. The 49ers will be without starter Richard Sherman for the next three games. He was placed on injured reserve with a calf strain on Wednesday.

Both rookie wide receive Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) and center Ben Garland (ankle) were full participants during practice for the second consecutive day, boosting the chances that both will be available on Sunday.

For those waiting on a practice report involving Mohamed Sanu, you'll have to check back on Friday. That's when the newly signed wide receiver will first be allowed to practice with the team. He needed to undergo COVID-19 testing this week and can't join his new teammates until those results are available, but he has been able to attend meetings virtually.

Below are Thursday's practice participation reports for both the 49ers and Jets, which were provided by the 49ers Communications staff.

San Francisco 49ers Thursday Practice

Did Not Participate In Practice
DE Dee Ford (neck), WR Richie James (hamstring), TE George Kittle (knee), CB Jason Verrett (hamstring)

Limited Participation in Practice
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (concussion)

Full Participation in Practice
WR Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring), C Ben Garland (ankle)

New York Jets Thursday Practice

Did Not Participate In Practice
WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring), RB Frank Gore (not injury related)

Limited Participation in Practice
LB Tarell Basham (hip), QB Joe Flacco (neck), RB La'Mical Perine (ankle), LB Avery Williamson (hamstring)

Full Participation in Practice
RB Kalen Ballage (hamstring), T Mekhi Becton (knee), TE Daniel Brown (hamstring), T George Fant (shoulder), T Alex Lewis (shoulder), LB Frankie Luvu (neck)