San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters via conference call on Monday, the day after the team's 20-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Among the key updates, Shanahan addressed the status of starting quarterback Brock Purdy, who missed his fifth game of the season on Sunday night due to a lingering toe injury.
It appears Mac Jones could make his sixth start of the season when the 49ers travel to face the Houston Texans this weekend. Shanahan confirmed that Purdy being available for the Week 8 matchup might be a "reach."
"No one said that [he would be available]," Shanahan noted.
When asked whether the upcoming turf games might affect Purdy's return timeline, Shanahan replied, "No, not that I've been told."
RELATED 49ers injury updates: Another pass rusher sidelined; No certainty on Purdy or Pearsall
All eyes will be on Purdy's participation during Wednesday's practice, as the 49ers return to the field to begin Week 8 preparations. The quarterback was limited throughout last week before being ruled out against Atlanta. How much he practices this week might be a key indicator of his availability moving forward.
No added urgency to make a trade
The latest injury updates from Shanahan revealed that the 49ers would be without defensive end Bryce Huff for a couple of weeks. He suffered a hamstring injury late in Sunday's game.
That news raised the question: Does losing another key pass rusher increase the 49ers' urgency to make a trade ahead of the NFL's November 4 trade deadline?
"I don't think it changes the urgency of it," Shanahan said. "I mean, it definitely just sucks losing Huff, but it is a hamstring, and hopefully, it won't be longer than two weeks. So you know that he's coming back, and sooner than later.
"But those guys have been looking into that stuff all the time for the last few weeks, and I'm sure they'll continue over the next couple of weeks."
When asked if it is imperative that a potential trade target be a player under contract beyond this season, Shanahan said that's the preferred scenario, but not an absolute requirement.
"I don't like to say imperative at all, just because I don't like to put an absolute on anything," he said. "But, yeah, I think that's something that we definitely would prefer. Of course we want someone to help us out this year, but I'd love it not to be at the expense of our team next year also.
"I know we all feel that way, and hopefully, we can find a situation that does both. And if not, you don't do something like that just to do it. I'm really excited about the guys we have in our building right now, also."
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