San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR this morning. He provided the following injury updates ahead of the team's Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
RB Elijah Mitchell (rib)
Mitchell practiced on Thursday in a blue no-contact jersey after missing Wednesday's session. Will he be available on Sunday?
"I think today's extremely important [for Mitchell]," Lynch said. "And when you're dealing with something that he's dealing with, with ribs, every day, 24 hours is a long time. And then it becomes kind of a pain tolerance thing.
"The young man is playing so well for us. We sure hope we have him. If not, we are well-equipped."
RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (knee)
Wilson started practicing with the team this week. He suffered a knee injury in May. Lynch says there is a chance the running back could be suited up for Sunday's game.
"He's practiced twice," Lynch said. "He came back, Thursday, really good from Wednesday, and the hope is that he comes back this morning the same way. I know this: Jeff has worked his tail off and really been off to the side, replicating practice and even doing a little bit more. So, he's in tremendous shape.
"I guess the issue with him is he hasn't played football in a while, so we have to be judicious and make a good decision, if that's the right thing for him, for our team, to put him in. But the first part of that is seeing how he responds because he's put a big load on it.
"There's something different when you're working off to the side. Football is a very reactive sport. All of a sudden, a defender flashes, and you've got to make a hard cut that you don't know, in your mind, that you plan on making. That's different. We've just got to see how he holds up."
DE Dee Ford (back)
On Thursday, for the first time since the week leading to the season opener, Ford was listed on an injury report with a back injury. He was limited on Thursday.
"Dee has back issues," Lynch said. "Whenever you deal with someone, baseball, football, life, and the have back issues, they can flare up from time to time. Even when he was on the concussion protocol [last week], yeah, he was in the protocol, so that is what it is. Some of that, there was a play versus Indy where he kind of fell, and it kind of lit up some of his back issues, and some of those presented as concussion-type stuff. It's kind of one and the same.
"So really, not a new issue. Kind of an ongoing issue with him, and we're trying to work through that, see if we have him this week, and make some decisions moving forward. But Dee is a difference-maker when he's out there. The challenge has been having him out there."
TE George Kittle (calf)
On Thursday, Kittle sounded confident that he would play on Sunday. He, like Wilson, had his practice window opened this week. Kittle landed on injured reserve with a calf injury on October 9.
"I think, again, today is a big day [for Kittle], but it has trended in the right direction," Lynch said. "And he's [champing] at the bit. We made a decision to give him some time with the short-term IR to quiet that lower leg down, and I think it's done the job. He looked really good at practice, and man, he's an important guy to have back. He just gives so much to our team. So, we're excited about the way that's trending."
Trey Lance (knee)
Lance was active on Sunday and served as Jimmy Garoppolo's backup against the Chicago Bears. He missed a game due to a knee sprain.
"Yeah, Trey's in good health," Lynch said. "He's doing really well. He's been awesome, and really, getting better each and every day."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
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