The San Francisco 49ers can designate two more players to return from the injured reserve list. They would like to use those opportunities on running back Elijah Mitchell and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, bolstering the offense and defense for the playoffs.
That means that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway won't land on injured reserve, despite their slim return chances. The 49ers would need to go on a deep playoff run for either to have an opportunity to get back on the football field this season. But since there is a chance, they will remain on the 53-man roster for now.
"Him (Ridgeway) and Jimmy are in similar boats, so we don't have to make a decision right now, so we'll keep it that way until we have to," Shanahan told reporters on Friday. "The more information, the more time that goes [by], the clearer things get."
Brock Purdy has a good week
Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy is preparing for his first NFL start. Typically, he has to do a lot of work on the side with the assistant quarterback coach, Klay Kubiak, to get more mental reps. This week, Purdy is QB1, which means he received all of the live practice reps.
The 49ers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium before a quick turnaround, traveling to Seattle for a matchup with the division-rival Seahawks on Thursday night.
"It's been real good," Shanahan said of this week's practice with Purdy at the helm of the offense. "Nothing's really been different. I mean, it's a big difference not having Jimmy in there, but you haven't felt like a rookie is coming in or anything. He handled Wednesday, Thursday, Friday very well. I think the players and [the rest of us] expected him to, but you never know."
There was no nervousness from the 22-year-old quarterback this week.
Shanahan added, "He was the same guy as he's been. We expect that to stay."
Nick Bosa evades hamstring talk
Defensive end Nick Bosa is dealing with a hamstring issue that resulted from Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers have called it "hamstring irritation." The injury (or irritation?) was significant enough to keep the pass rusher from practicing this week. San Francisco listed Bosa as "questionable" for Sunday.
"It was bothering him on Monday, and we got it looked into it, and it was legit," Shanahan said.
The NFL's current sack leader didn't want to discuss the issue with reporters. The good news is that Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports that Bosa had good acceleration as he evaded the media on Friday.
"His get-away speed was impressive," Barrows hilariously wrote.
Nick Bosa did not want to discuss his hamstring injury today. I can report that it looked good as he pulled away and accelerated from a scrum of reporters in the locker room. His get-away speed was impressive.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 9, 2022
