San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Reuben Foster was involved in a couple of the practice skirmishes against the Denver Broncos on Thursday. The two teams have spent the past two days taking part in joint practices in preparation for Saturday's exhibition matchup at Levi's Stadium. Foster, along with the rest of the defense, came to the aid of fellow rookie Pita Taumoepenu, who had become involved in a scuffle with a Broncos offensive lineman.
Foster was not even supposed to be taking part in 7-on-7 drills during Thursday's practice, which was the 49ers' last of training camp. The rookie linebacker has a mild AC joint sprain in the same shoulder that required surgery following the 2016 college football season. He was supposed to be limited during practice and not participate in contact drills. While he did not take part in full team drills, he was able to convince his head coach to let him get some work in during 7-on-7 drills.
"Reuben just had some soreness after yesterday," Kyle Shanahan told KNBR on Thursday. "Totally different thing than his surgery and stuff like that. So we played it smart with him today. He was real upset with me for not letting him go. He definitely wanted to go. He talked me into 7-on-7 (drills), which he promised me he wouldn't touch anybody. Then I saw him over in a scuffle so he broke that part of the promise. I should have known that would have happened if there was a scuffle."
Foster is expected to play on Saturday. As is linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who sat out half of practice after complaining about some soreness in his own shoulder, which Shanahan explained was a similar injury to Foster's.
"I expect [Bowman] to be alright for the game," Shanahan said. "I think they were really alright today if they had to go but we'll see how it goes in the next two days and we'll be smart regardless."
You can listen to the entire interview with Shanahan on KNBR.