Reuben Foster rejoined his teammates on the practice field this week after serving his two-game suspension for violating the NFL's conduct and substances of abuse policies. The young linebacker was around the team during that time but extremely limited in what he could and couldn't do.

"To be honest with you, he was here in the building doing his conditioning and whatever he was allowed to do, but as far as football-stuff, there wasn't as much interaction," San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said on Thursday.


Foster was allowed to be in meetings, but could not work one-on-one with the coaching staff or practice with the team, Saleh explained. Foster spent the past two Sundays watching the 49ers as an invested fan. This past Sunday, he grabbed some food and headed home to catch the game on television.

"I can honestly say I was a true fan," Foster told reporters before Thursday's practice. "Like, I was a true fan. I was at the store about to get some Chick-fil-a —"

Foster paused to correct himself. That particular fast food chain isn't open on Sundays.

"Not Chick-fil-a because the game is Sunday. Five Guys," he said with his typical infectious smile. "I seen some play — what play?"

Foster couldn't really recall the specific play.


"I seen a play," he continued. "Just know, I seen a play, and I just rushed home, and I was there watching the game at the house, really going in on the TV and just being a true fan, cheering my brothers."

Foster is returning just in time. The 49ers defense will face the tough task of slowing down a potent Kansas City Chiefs offense on Sunday, led by red-hot second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Foster enters Sunday's game rested and having studied the Chiefs offense on his own over the past two weeks.

"He's got fresh legs," Saleh said. "He looks fast. So, we're excited to have him back. Love his energy."

"It's his first game back, we're excited to have him, and he's excited to be back out there," cornerback Richard Sherman said on Thursday. "He brings an incredible energy and speed and explosiveness and physicality to the defense. We appreciate it. We look forward to him joining us out there."


Like Saleh and Sherman, the 49ers general manager, John Lynch, is excited about what Foster's return means to the team.

"Having him back in the building was an instant lift," Lynch said on Thursday during a KNBR interview. "He just has one of those personalities that makes people happy and brings energy. And then he also brings excellent play. We're excited to see him play.

"There's going to be some rust, but fortunately, he had a preseason where we played him a lot. And then, I'll give credit to him, he worked his tail off in terms of being in shape so that when he got his opportunity, which is coming this week, he'll be ready."

Even offensive players are excited to have Foster back in the lineup, as veteran tackle Joe Staley explained on 95.7 The Game on Thursday night.

"I'm really excited to see Reuben out there," Staley told Damon Bruce. "I mean, the guy has so much energy, just plays with so much passion. You can just see it and feel it. People feed off that. Defenses kind of feed off that energy and the momentum and everything, big plays and all that stuff. That's exactly what he is, especially in the middle."


What was it like for Foster to get back on the practice field?

"It was like a holiday," he said. "It was just like a holiday just knowing I can come back and play the game I love, for real. I'm just happy just to be happy-go-jolly. Just playing the cards right, doing good off the field and on the field. Just don't do nothing off the field so I won't be off the field."

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