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The 49ers appeared to escape Los Angeles without any serious injuries, but they weren’t completely unscathed. Of the injuries sustained, Richard Sherman’s “stinger” (a shoulder injury) appears to have had the least immediate impact, and K’Waun Williams, who sustained a hand injury, was wearing a blue non-contact jersey at 49ers practice.
Shanahan makes no mistakes about his feelings for Redskins
Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins under his father, Mike Shanahan. The elder Shanahan was fired at the end of a 3-13 2013 season, along with the rest of his staff.
Asked on Wednesday what he like about working for the Redskins, Shanahan said, “Working with my dad.”
Asked what he didn’t like about working for the Redskins, Shanahan said: “Everything else.”
You can expect that despite the 1-5 record from the Redskins, Kyle Shanahan would love nothing more than to secure a full-forced blowout win, and not take this game lightly.
Immediate injury concerns
The greatest concerns are D.J. Jones, who has a hamstring strain, and Deebo Samuel, who has a groin strain. Both Jones and Samuel were seen on the far side of the 49ers’ practice field doing stretches and warm-up exercises. Tight end George Kittle, who was dealing with a groin strain going into the game, was not present in practice, nor was Raheem Mostert, who is apparently dealing with a knee strain.
Should Jones and Samuel be inactive this week, it would seem more likely than not that both Jullian Taylor and Jordan Matthews, who were inactive this week (Taylor hasn’t been active since Week 2 and Matthews hasn’t been active in either of his two weeks since being re-signed), would be active for Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins.
Dee Ford was in pads (though limited) for the first practice of the week for the second-straight week, a promising sign after it had seemed like his quad/knee tendinitis was verging on becoming a constant issue, at least from a practice standpoint. DeForest Buckner was not involved at the start of practice, taking a veteran day to rest.
Possible return recap
A more promising sign was the appearance of Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, who were working together on a weighted sled on the 49ers’ side field. To recap, here is where the 49ers stand on the possible returns of Staley, McGlinchey, Ahkello Witherspoon, Kyle Juszczyk and their four players on injured reserve:
Joe Staley – Week 9: Shanahan said Monday that he’s targeting the Week 9, Thursday night Halloween game against the Arizona Cardinals for Staley’s return. “I’m still hoping for Arizona, maybe a chance for Carolina, but I would consider that very lucky,” Shanahan said.”
Ahkello Witherspoon – Week 8-9: There is a chance that Witherspoon could return against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, but Week 9 would seem the safer bet. “He’s going in the right direction,” Shanahan said Monday. “I think there’s a better chance next week (against the Panthers), but I do not expect him to have a chance this week.”
Mike McGlinchey – Weeks 10-12: Shanahan said that McGlinchey’s timeline had remained the same on Monday, and he was given an initial four-to-six-week return plan following arthroscopic surgery for a knee injury sustained against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
Kyle Juszczyk – Weeks 10-12: Like McGlinchey, Juszcyzk was given a four-to-six-week return timeline, and with the Week 9 game against the Cardinals on a Thursday, it seems almost out of the question that either would return then. The timeline’s should become clearer around the time of the Carolina game.
IR CANDIDATES (only two of the four can return):
Kentavius Street – Week 9: Street seems, at this point, the least likely to return from IR, but cannot be ruled out. A serious injury on the defensive line would give him a chance to return, which would be Week 9. He could begin practicing in Week 7, but that would mean designating him as a return candidate. Once an IR player practices, it requires that return designation.
Trent Taylor – Week 11: Taylor seems the most likely to be activated from the injured reserve list. He’d provide a slot presence that Garoppolo is familiar with and could begin practicing in Week 9.
Jalen Hurd – Week 13: Hurd, barring injuries to the secondary or defensive line, would seem the second most likely to return, based on his utility as a blocker, massive fullback option and the largest wide receiver on the team. He could be used as a rusher as well, and that probably gives him the edge for an offense that’s still looking for a standout receiving threat outside George Kittle.
Jason Verrett – Week 13: Based on how well the defense has played without Verrett, coupled with his injury history, it’s hard to bet on him to return, though if he can get healthy, he’d provide an upgrade over Dontae Johnson. It may depend on injuries for Verrett to return.