First, the good news. Shanahan confirmed that rookie defensive end Nick Bosa will play on Sunday.
"Yeah, he's ready to go," Shanahan said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "We knew it was a tough injury. We weren't sure if we were going to get him back this week because any time you have a high-ankle (sprain), it could be anywhere from four to eight weeks. It's getting right up to four, and he's had three good practices this week, and he's ready to go."
Shanahan believes Bosa is the type of player who can make an impact right away.
"The way he plays, the way he's practiced, he just got back this week, but we wouldn't put him out there if he wasn't ready to go," Shanahan continued. "We expect him to make an impact, and we expect a number of our guys to."
Shanahan also provided an update on injured defensive back Jimmie Ward, who broke a finger during practice on Wednesday.
"Jimmie's most likely not going to play," Shanahan said. "... I've got to talk to the doctors here in about an hour, but I'd be very surprised if he played. He broke his finger, got it caught up in a jersey in practice, ended up having surgery on it yesterday.
"Jimmie's a guy, he's adamant he wants to play with a cast on and everything. That's what we're still trying to wait to see for sure on but I think we're going to have to wait a week before we let him play with a cast on because any time you get surgery, just to do that right away, you always deal with the risk of infection and things like that, so we've got to play that a little safe.
"Don't know for sure but I'd be surprised (if he played)."
Shanahan didn't want to reveal what the absence of Ward means for the defense on Sunday.
"It's a very big deal for (opposing) offenses to know who the safeties are, who the nickel back is, all that stuff," Shanahan added. "They need to know those numbers going into games so they know how to target things and get the O-line on the right people. I'd rather them find out on the first play rather than today listen to this show."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers injury updates: Shanahan shares the latest on Pearsall, Burford, Cowing, others
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters on Monday afternoon, the day after the team beat the Tennessee Titans 37-24 at Levi's Stadium. He provided several key injury updates. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall aggravated his PCL injury and is also dealing... -
Kyle Shanahan shares 49ers updates day after Week 15 win vs. Titans
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters during a conference call on Monday, the day after the team's 37-24 win over the Tennessee Titans. Here's everything he said. Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff. Opening... -
Kyle Shanahan shares final updates ahead of 49ers-Colts Week 16 matchup
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters following Saturday's practice, providing final updates ahead of the team's Week 16 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Here's everything he said. Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications... -
49ers injury news: Postgame updates on George Kittle, others after win vs. Colts
The San Francisco 49ers picked up a decisive 48-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night, improving to 11-4 on the season. However, the victory did not come without some injury concerns. Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the media after the game and provided several...