Nick Waggoner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Although the San Francisco 49ers don’t yet know when quarterback Brock Purdy will return from the toe injury that cost him three of their first five games, they also haven’t reached the point where they’re ready to rule him out for an extended period.
“We didn’t think about putting him on IR,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “He’s making progress.”
Purdy did not practice Wednesday, and things appear to be setting up for Mac Jones to start again Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones led the Niners to victories in each of his previous three starts.
Of course, Jones is dealing with injuries of his own, including a left knee issue and, according to Shanahan, an oblique injury. He was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice.
Jones received medical treatment during Thursday’s win over the Rams, saying that after the win he was able to resolve the issues and that “it’s my job to be out there.”
The 49ers view Purdy’s return as a week-to-week proposition after he aggravated a Week 1 toe injury in the Week 4 loss to Jacksonville. Purdy did not travel to Los Angeles for last week’s game.
With Purdy missing practice and Jones limited, Adrian Martinez, who was promoted from the practice squad last week, will get more reps with the starters in practice this week.
Martinez nearly saw action against the Rams after Jones stayed away on a hit late in the game, but Jones was able to come back on the next possession. Shanahan said if Martinez were to play, he didn’t really know what to expect because Martinez had yet to take a chance in a regular-season game.
“Obviously, a guy who hasn’t been in your system very long and hasn’t had a lot of experience in a very long time, you want to be as careful as possible,” Shanahan said. “But when you’re in a 20-20 game or whatever when someone takes over, you’re going to do what you need to do. You find yourself in certain situations and you have to figure it out.”
Elsewhere on the injury report, receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) did not practice Wednesday. Shanahan said the team hoped Pearsall would be back by now, but his status for Sunday is uncertain.
“We’ll see if there’s a turning point here on Thursday or Friday, but I’m not counting on it right now,” Shanahan said of Pearsall.
Tight end George Kittle (hamstring), eligible to return from injured reserve, is also progressing. He won’t participate in practice this week, but Shanahan said Kittle has “a chance” to get back into contention for a 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, Shanahan said.
The 49ers opened practice windows for safety Malik Mustapha (knee) and defensive tackle Kevin Givens (pec) this week, giving both a chance to play against the Bucs. Shanahan said they will be evaluated as the week goes on.
