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Arik Armstead has missed the last four games. The San Francisco 49ers' defensive tackle has been working through lingering foot and knee injuries, attempting to return to the football field. With the 49ers securing the top seed in the NFC and home-field advantage, rushing the veteran defender back before the playoffs is unnecessary.
General manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday morning and was asked if the 49ers expect to have Armstead back for the postseason.
"That's our hope," Lynch said on the "Murph and Markus" show. "The one seed, when you talk about what it means, it means some extra time for a guy like Arik, who's been working through some foot and knee injuries and making a great deal of progress. But this just gives him a little extra time.
"And it's been killing Arik. He wants to be out there for his team, but this extra time just allows him more opportunity to heal up, and Arik's a big part of what we do. So he's working hard. We expect to have him for the playoffs. We hope to. I don't know about 'expect to' because you always have to hit these markers, and we'll turn up the intensity of his training as we get closer. And he's doing real well."
Lynch was also asked about wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who has been working through the concussion protocol since sustaining the injury on December 17.
"Jauan's in the concussion protocol, and I think, wisely so, we're instructed by the league not to really get into the details of that because it is a protocol, and it really takes it out of our hands," Lynch said. "So there's steps he has to hit. He hasn't hit those yet. Kyle mentioned that we thought progress was being made, but for the league, for coming up, and they put a lot of time into coming up with a protocol that makes sure guys are ready when they return to play, and he's in that."
Lynch added, "He's a big part of what we do, but we're not going to put him out there, nor will the protocol allow for it, until he's ready."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
Rookie Malik Mustapha delivers jokes about 49ers GM John Lynch
By David Bonilla
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Having both played safety, rookie Malik Mustapha and San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch can relate to each other. Mustapha acknowledges the impact that Lynch and others like 49ers legend Ronnie Lott had on the game. However, admittedly, he hasn't seen a lot of their play.
This shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, Mustapha is just 21 years old. He wasn't even one year old when Lynch won his Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (OK, I feel really old now, too).
Mustapha didn't hesitate to poke fun at his new boss when asked if he has ever seen Lynch play. With a smile, he stated, "I'm gonna have to dig deep for that film, but I definitely heard good things about him. I'm hip with the John Lynches, the Ronnie Lotts of the world, things like
Bucky Brooks identifies biggest challenge for Kyle Shanahan as 49ers seek Super Bowl return
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The San Francisco 49ers are on a mission to rebound from their February Super Bowl defeat, eyeing a return to the NFL title game and aiming to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the season's end. What stands as their greatest hurdle in achieving this goal? Is it the Kansas City Chiefs, who claimed victory over them in the Super Bowl and will face them again in a Week 7 rematch? Or is it the challenge of overcoming adversity, such as injuries?
According to Bucky Brooks, it's actually something else entirely. The NFL analyst believes that the biggest challenge facing the 49ers this season will be refocusing after the heartbreak of their
49ers' Nick Sorensen excited for Talanoa Hufanga's eventual return
By David Bonilla
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The San Francisco 49ers' defense suffered a devastating blow in November when safety Talanoa Hufanga went down with a season-ending ACL injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rookie Ji'Ayir Brown filled in for the injured All-Pro, whose absence was felt among his teammates.
All signs point toward Hufanga's recovery being on schedule, with the safety even eyeing a potential return some time during training camp.
"It's always scary coming back from an ACL, but once you come back, in this day and age, it's usually okay," head coach Kyle Shanahan said in March. "[We] expect to get him some time in training camp, so that should be all right."
Last week, Nick
49ers rookie Dominick Puni can't wait to learn from Trent Williams
By David Bonilla
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Rookie Dominick Puni is stepping into an exciting opportunity, with many speculating whether the third-round pick can contend for a starting position on the San Francisco 49ers offensive line. The team was so intrigued by Puni that it traded up eight spots, securing his arrival in the Bay Area.
ESPN analyst Matt Miller, a longtime 49ers fan, recently shared his enthusiasm for the Puni pick, lauding the offensive lineman's physicality, athleticism, and versatility.
"I think he'll be a guard," Miller said on the "No Huddle" podcast. "I don't see any chance of him playing tackle unless it's a little bit of a
