49ers notebook: Shanahan indicates Garoppolo may deal with ankle injury all season

Jimmy Garoppolo’s next pain-free snap from under center might not come this season.

That’s because Garoppolo is dealing with a dreaded high-ankle sprain that can often take two full months to heal. But the 49ers franchise quarterback may not get those two months while he tries to play through the injury with his next bout coming Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

“People have high ankle sprains and it’ll affect you sometimes through an entire year,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “It’s pretty much as simple as that.”

Garoppolo was back at practice on Wednesday listed as a full participant after getting benched at halftime of last week’s blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Garoppolo, who missed two games after sustaining the injury Week 2 against the Jets, was clearly hampered by his right ankle injury that prevented him from properly pushing off his back leg causing his throws to lose velocity and accuracy. It was particularly noticeable during his two interceptions that led to his removal for C.J. Beathard after halftime. Garoppolo’s 15.7 passer rating was the lowest of any start in his career.

Barring any set back on the practice field this week, Garoppolo will remain San Francisco’s starter for a game that could define the 49ers’ season. A loss to L.A. would mean dropping to 2-4 — and 0-2 in the division — with a six-game gauntlet coming up featuring opponents with a combined record of 22-6. A win could keep the 49ers afloat and give them some much-needed momentum heading into a road game against Garoppolo’s former team, the New England Patriots.

Shanahan brought up the idea of high ankle sprains being long-term by mentioning center Ben Garland, who suffered a high ankle sprain early in training camp and sat out a month before returning for Week 2. Shanahan noted there were plays earlier in the year when it was apparent Garland still wasn’t fully healthy, which is something Garoppolo might have to deal with as long as he remains under center.

“It makes hard for you to play at your best,” Shanahan said. “But does that mean that you can’t play? Lots of guys go out there and they have things that prohibit them from being their best. But, if you can play, you still got to go out there and perform and I’ll be the judge of that watching (Garoppolo) throughout the week. And if he has a good week of practice and looks like he gives us the best chance to win, then I won’t hesitate. If it looks like it hurts in the game and it’s prohibiting him, then we’ll do what we did again.”

Shanahan said the plan with Garoppolo at practice won’t change. The team will still put him through his paces by requiring him to move around in bootlegs, scrambles and play action passes, like he will on Sunday night.

Garoppolo will do everything short of take a hit from defenders in order to prepare himself for in-game situations against one of the NFL’s best pass rushes. The Rams are tied with the Steelers to lead the league with 20 sacks on the season, including 7.5 from two-time defensive player of the year, Aaron Donald.

“And we’ll see how he plays, if he gets better or worse from it,” Shanahan said. “But I expect him to get better. I don’t think he had too many big setbacks next week, so I expect him to feel a little bit better this week. But, also, you never know with a high ankle. But the only thing we could test more is to tackle him and get him to the ground. And that’s something we’re not going to do.”

Garoppolo didn’t speak to reporters on Wednesdays as he typically has over the last four seasons. The team is pushing his availability to later in the week so he can get treatment on his ankle.

Alexander out with ankle injury

Speaking of high ankle sprains, Shanahan on Wednesday confirmed another victim: linebacker Kwon Alexander, who could go on injured reserve before Sunday causing him to miss at least three games. Alexander, 26, would hit injured reserve for the second straight season with San Francisco.

Last year he tore a pectoral on Halloween against the Cardinals but managed to return for the playoffs. He had surgery to repair a biceps injury after the Super Bowl. And that all came after he tore his ACL midway through the 2018 season before signing with the 49ers and being cleared to practice during training camp.

Shanahan on Monday said he was unsure of the severity of the injury. But on Wednesday confirmed Alexander would likely miss this week leaving injured reserve as a possibility. The team has waited until Saturdays before games to add players to injured reserve in recent weeks.

The 49ers, as of Wednesday, had 15 players on injured reserve since the start of training camp which is among the most in the NFL. That doesn’t include three players who opened the season on the physically unable to perform list: defensive end Ronald Blair III (torn ACL), center Weston Richburg (torn patellar tendon) and defensive tackle Jullian Taylor (torn ACL).

Good news for the secondary

Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, a starter to begin the season and in the Super Bowl, was back on the practice field in a blue non-contact jersey for the first time since sustaining a concussion in the Week 3 victory over the New York Giants. It doesn’t guarantee he’ll play on Sunday against the high-powered Rams, but it does indicate he’s progressing through the concussion protocol. He was listed as a limited participant.

Moseley, of course, could provide a significant boost to a secondary that got torched for 350 yards, three touchdown passes and a 154.5 rating last week by Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The 49ers came under fire for starting Brian Allen, making his debut, a day after being promoted from the practice squad while Ahkello Witherspoon was dealing with a hamstring issue.

Witherspoon wound up replacing Allen on the fourth possession of the game after the Dolphins had already scored three touchdowns. Allen allowed five receptions on six targets for 124 yards, was flagged for a horse collar tackle deep in 49ers territory and pass interference near the goal line.

Moseley on the season is allowing a 79.7 passer rating, which would be a marked improvement from Allen’s 158.3 mark against the Dolphins. If Moseley can’t play, Witherspoon would likely get the start. He wasn’t listed on Wednesday’s injury report.

—Defensive tackle D.J. Jones was back on the practice field Wednesday after momentarily leaving the Miami game with an eye injury. He was a full participant.

—Cornerback Dontae Johnson (groin) did not practice Wednesday and hasn’t participated since playing through the injury Week 4 in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.