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The good news for the 49ers is that Trent Williams trained on Thursday, and that’s a good sign for his status on Sunday against the Cardinals. Against Arizona, Williams could be the team’s most important offensive player.
Jimmy Garoppolo was not on site during the practice game where the media are allowed. On Wednesday, Jimmy Garoppolo said he would ‘fight’ and that ‘it hurts, but that’s what it is at this point’ when asked if he would be 100% healthy for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
Garoppolo described his calf contusion as an “abnormal injury”. The injury occurred to Jimmy’s right leg, the same leg where he suffered a sprained ankle a year ago that prematurely ended Garoppolo’s season.
If Jimmy can’t fend off his throwing leg, the 49ers were never going to run the risk of crafting a game plan for a hobbled Garoppolo. Jordan Elliot pointed out how rushing him early last year turned out to be a mistake. Take this week and the week off to be healthy.
This opens the door for rookie Trey Lance to make his first career debut. Lance took reps with the starters on Wednesday and Thursday. However, San Francisco can stay in a “wait and see” mode to name who will start as quarterback.
It will be difficult to return to Garoppolo if Lance plays well. A fascinating question is what if Lance pushes the boundaries of what a lousy win looks like? You can easily uncover a bunch of storylines as to how the 49ers quarterback’s situation might play out. Let’s start one start at a time with Lance. It would also mean that Nate Sudfeld is Lance’s replacement.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s training report:
Has not practiced:
TE George Kittle (calf)
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (calf)
K’Waun Williams (calf)
Working on the side during defensive line drills:
Arik Armstead
Javon Kinlaw (knee)
Samson Ebukam (hamstrings)
Josh Norman no longer wore a contactless blue jersey, according to media in attendance. That’s great news for high school, as Norman showed flashes of his prime before falling with two bruised lungs against Green Bay.
Game-wise, Norman makes more sense with his style of play to face the big-bodied Cardinal receivers on the perimeter. It could allow DeMeco Ryans to get creative in the way he uses his cornerbacks on Sunday.
Shanahan said on Wednesday the team will continue to manage Kittle during practices. This could be one of those years when Kittle doesn’t practice a lot but is active on Sundays until he is 100% healthy. Kittle was in towels, but that’s all everyone saw.
Alex Mack returned to training after taking veterans leave on Wednesday. Elijah Mitchell trained for the second day in a row without a contactless blue jersey. Mitchell should give the 49ers a boost. He and Trey Sermon will complement each other well this season.
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