Recently signed San Francisco 49ers linebacker Eric Kendricks is working to get back into football shape, but has experienced a minor setback. Head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Wednesday that Kendricks is dealing with a tight calf, which kept him off the practice field.
"I'd love to get Eric going," Shanahan said. "He's got a tight calf today, so I'm not sure how much he's going to go today—if he's going to go. But he's working back into here. Hopefully, it's not too bad of a setback with that, but we'll see him when he gets on the field."
On Thursday, general manager John Lynch offered further clarity, noting that Kendricks is unlikely to suit up this weekend against the Tennessee Titans.
Because Kendricks is currently on the practice squad, he did not appear on Wednesday's official injury report. Lynch explained that teams are not required to provide status updates on practice squad players. Once Kendricks is fully healthy, however, the 49ers can elevate him at any time and make him available to play.
"We brought Eric in with an intention of seeing where he's at, knowing what he's done in his career, what a great player he's been, and the opportunity to get his legs underneath him," Lynch said on Bay Area radio station KNBR. "I think, in that process, it's not unusual for a guy who's been away, that they're going to get tight and things, and that kind of happened.
"And so, we're going to give him the proper ample time to get ready to go showcase what he can do for us. And there'll be a time, hopefully, where we have an opportunity to see that. Whether it be this week or not, I don't know. Unlikely. He wasn't on the practice field this week—yesterday—so we'll see. But we're still very encouraged with what we've seen."