49ers notebook: Jordan Reed out 6-8 weeks; Deebo Samuel to return to practice

There was good news and bad news on the injury front Monday for the 49ers offense coming out of Week 3’s thrashing of the New York Giants.

First, the good news. There’s a chance the starting quarterback, star tight end, top running back and No. 1 receiver are back on the field Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The bad news: tight end Jordan Reed is expected to miss six to eight weeks with an MCL sprain to his left knee. He’s expected to get placed on short-term injured reserve.

Reed — in place of George Kittle (knee sprain), who could be back this week after missing two games — tied for San Francisco’s team lead with 16 targets over first three games. He made 11 receptions for 85 yards and was expected to be a focal point of the game plan Sunday before exiting in the second quarter.

Reed initially exited the game after he suffered an ankle injury during an incompletion in the end zone where he came down awkwardly on his left leg. But he returned to the game and then suffered the knee injury after getting tackled low on a on a 7-yard reception with 4:31 left in the half.

Reed joined the 49ers in early August and figured to be a key addition to the passing game that needed another reliable target while a slew of receivers dealt with injuries. He didn’t play last season following a serious concussion during the preseason with Washington. He missed 17 games combined over the previous three years with various ailments.

“I know he’s disappointed but not discouraged. I think he was really liking where he was at,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday in a Zoom press conference. “Just what they say, six to eight weeks, which does take some time, so I know he’s disappointed in that, but nothing that’s going to affect him after that. He’ll hit his rehab hard and hopefully we can weather the storm while he’s gone and he’ll come back to a good team.”

The 49ers might be able to make up for Reed’s absence with players returning from their injuries. Shanahan said the team is taking a wait-and-see approach with Kittle, who practiced all three days last week at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. Barring a setback, Kittle should be back on the practice field Wednesday, which would be a good sign for Sunday night against Philadelphia.

Shanahan also indicated starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was close to practicing near the end of last week after suffering a high ankle sprain to his right plant leg Week 2.

“We’ll see how it is this week. I know he’s doing a lot better now than he did last week,” Shanahan said. “Still not sure about Wednesday. I know he needs these two days to keep rehabbing and we’ll evaluate it then.”

If Garoppolo can’t go, Nick Mullens would get his second straight start. He impressed against the Giants Sunday with 343 yards while completing 69 percent of his passes with one touchdown and a 108.9 rating. It was his first start since the 2018 season finale.

“He made all the plays that were there and made a number of plays that weren’t there,” Shanahan said. “Extended a few, had a few big third downs. A few big second and longs. He kept us on the field for a while and played tough and was very impressed with him. And he each time I watch him I feel stronger about that.”

Additionally, Shanahan said running back Raheem Mostert, who sprained his MCL against the Jets, will also get evaluated further to see if he can return to the practice field this week. Mostert last week was allowed to leave the team in West Virginia and return home to Cleveland for the birth of his second child.

Deebo Samuel to return to practice

The 49ers’ top receiver, Deebo Samuel, took to Instagram on Monday to let his followers know he would be back in the mix this week. As expected, Samuel will return to practice Wednesday with hopes of playing Sunday night, per Shanahan. This is the first week Samuel is eligible to return off injured reserve after breaking his foot.

“I know he’s been champing at the bit to get back,” said Shanahan. “I know he’s really made a lot of progress here in these last 14 days, so I know he’s pumped to practice. I know he’s pumped to play. We’ll see how he is.”

Samuel sustained a Jones fracture in his left foot in June during a Garoppolo-led workout in Nashville and missed all of training camp. He later suffered a setback prior to Week 1 after experiencing soreness which led to going on short-term injured reserve.

Getting Samuel back could be big for San Francisco’s offense that hasn’t been fully healthy all season. But Shanahan said it’s not a guarantee he’ll play Sunday.

“I know he’s conditioned right, I know he’s healthy, I know he’s feeling good,” Shanahan said. “But Wednesday will be his first time in a football practice since Super Bowl week last year. So we got to take that into account also. So we’ll see how he goes and how he does in these three days. Then we’ll evaluate that at the end of the week.”

49ers to work out long snappers

Long snapper Kyle Nelson, who has been with the 49ers since 2014, played himself off the field on Sunday after having a handful of inaccurate snaps on field goals and extra points. One led to a long missed field goal from Robbie Gould and another led to a botched attempt that was negated by a Giants face mask penalty.

Nelson had been a reliable long snapper throughout his career. Shanahan said Sunday he suspected Nelson was dealing with the yips. The two spoke at team headquarters on Monday and Nelson apologized for his performance. The team will work out long snappers this week and consider replacing Nelson if necessary.

“I know how Kyle is. I knew how down he was. He just came up to me today and just apologized and stuff. It was an unfortunate game for him,” Shanahan said.

“I just told him that fortunately it didn’t cost us anything. It wasn’t an issue in the game because of how the rest of the game went, to still get a W. But he understands this business. He understands how the league works. We’re going to bring in some guys tomorrow, work them out, see how they look and then we’ll decide what’s best for us going forward.”

The 49ers went through three long snappers while Nelson was suspended for the first six games of 2019, Colin Holba, Jon Condo and Garrison Sandborn and struggled in the kicking game until Nelson’s return. Kicker Robbie Gould missed seven of his first 19 kicks of the season before making nine straight to end the year with Nelson back.

▪ Other injury news: Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley will open the week in the concussion protocol. He left the game in the first half after colliding with safety Jaquiski Tartt while the two were trying to tackle quarterback Daniel Jones on a running play.

Reserve linebacker and special teams standout Mark Nzeocha is expected to go on short-term IR with a quadriceps strain. That likely means an expanded role for former undrafted rookie Demetrius Flanningan-Fowles and Joe Walker, who was elevated for Sunday’s game off the practice squad.

Nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams reported “hip discomfort” on Monday, Shanahan said. Williams will undergo further testing before Wednesday’s practice. Williams was not mentioned by Shanahan on the post-game injury report on Sunday.

Defensive end Dee Ford isn’t expected to play this week, Shanahan said, and could on injured reserve over the next few days. He would have to miss games against the Eagles, Dolphins and Rams if played on IR.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is expected to miss his second straight game with a quad contusion. Second-year pro Azeez Al-Shaair played 19 snaps in Greenlaw’s stead against the Giants.

Finally, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is considered day to day with his hamstring injury that kept him from playing on Sunday.

This story was originally published September 28, 2020 at 5:29 PM.