SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Francisco 49ers find themselves in an uncertain situation regarding the health of their quarterbacks. Although the return date for Brock Purdy, affected by a toe injury that has kept him out of action in three of the first five games, has not yet been defined, the team does not contemplate sidelining him for an extended period.
Purdy did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, suggesting that Mac Jones could be the starter again on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones led the 49ers to victory in their previous three starts. However, Jones is also dealing with injuries, including problems in his left knee and, according to Shanahan, an oblique injury. He was considered a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Jones received medical attention during Thursday’s game against the Rams, but managed to keep playing, stating that his priority is to be on the field. The 49ers are evaluating Purdy’s return on a week-to-week basis, after the toe injury he suffered in Week 1 worsened in the Week 4 loss against Jacksonville. Purdy did not travel to Los Angeles for last week’s game. Given Purdy’s absence from training and Jones’ limitation, Adrian Martinez, promoted from the practice squad last week, will have more opportunities with the starters this week. Martinez was about to see action against the Rams after Jones took a hit at the end of the game, but Jones was able to return on the next possession. Shanahan commented that, if Martinez had to play, he doesn’t know what to expect, as he hasn’t yet participated in a regular season game.It hasn’t been considered to put him on the injured list.
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers coach
In other injury news, wide receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. Shanahan indicated that the team had hoped Pearsall would have returned by now, but his participation on Sunday is in doubt.Obviously, a player who hasn’t been in your system for a long time and hasn’t had much experience, you want to be as cautious as possible. But when you’re in a 20-20 game or whatever at that moment, someone has to step in, you have to do what you have to do. You find yourself in certain situations and you have to figure it out.
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers coach
Tight end George Kittle (hamstring), eligible to return from injured reserve, is also progressing. He will not participate in practice this week, but Shanahan said Kittle has a “chance” to return for the Week 7 home game against the Atlanta Falcons. Starting left guard Ben Bartch (high ankle sprain) is unlikely to practice next week, when he is eligible to return from injured reserve, according to Shanahan. The 49ers opened the practice windows for safety Malik Mustapha (knee) and defensive tackle Kevin Givens (pectoral) this week, giving them both the opportunity to play against the Buccaneers. Shanahan said they would be evaluated throughout the week.We’ll see if there’s a change on Thursday or Friday, but I’m not counting on that at this moment.
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers coach
