49ers notebook: Mostert details birth of second son; Moseley in line to return
The chaotic 2020 NFL season has been bittersweet for Raheem Mostert.
The 49ers running back has dealt with a knee sprain that kept him from playing for two weeks along with San Francisco’s disappointing 2-3 start to the campaign.
But those football tribulations aren’t on the same plane with what Mostert has been going through in his family life.
Mostert’s wife, Devon, gave birth to their second son, Neeko, between the 49ers’ second and third games of the year while the team was practicing in West Virginia in September. Mostert, who suffered his knee injury Sept. 20 against the Jets, was able to join his wife in the Cleveland area for Neeko’s birth that week.
But since then, he’s remained away from Devon, Neeko and their 2-year-old son, Gunner, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s had to see the earliest stages of his second son’s life on FaceTime from the other side of the country.
Mostert on Thursday detailed what that’s been like while thanking the 49ers organization for allowing him to leave the team while it prepared for the New York Giants.
“Those are moments that I truly am going to cherish. Right now, it’s definitely difficult just being away from my family,” he said. “When we had our first son, I was able to hold him and stuff like that, just hold him with one hand, hold his little butt right on my chest. For me not to be able to do that with my second son is kinda rough on me. And I talked with my wife about it last night. We just had a long talk and shared those moments because she’s doing it for me.”
Mostert said he sent a text message to his wife on Wednesday night after the video chat allowed Mostert to see his little one.
“I told her, ‘hey look, people say that the man is supposed to be the king of the house. But in this instance, when the king leaves the house or the fortress, it’s the queen that takes over, that gives all the calls,” Mostert said. “I told her, ‘you’re the queen right now. I know you’re doing a great job, you’re our warrior, you’re our threshold. You’re doing an unbelievable job with our two boys and I just want to you let you know that you’re not alone in this thing.’”
Mostert, who had 119 yards from scrimmage in last week’s loss to the Dolphins, says having Devon take care of things and keep his two sons safe is helping his mindset as he looks to help the 49ers rebound in Sunday night’s pivotal game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“For her to feel like she’s more comfortable now, it helps my mental (health) out so much, being that she’s safe and taking care of the boys,” he said. “And so I can’t thank her enough from the bottom of my heart.”
Emmanuel Moseley trending towards returning vs. Rams
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was no longer in a blue non-contract jersey during Thursday’s practice, indicating he’s progressed through concussion protocol and trending towards playing Sunday night. Moseley hasn’t played since Sept. 27 due to a head injury and for the first time Thursday was listed as a full participant in practice.
Moseley’s return could be big for San Francisco’s secondary that’s been lacking continuity all season. The 49ers have started five different combinations at cornerback through the first five games.
If Moseley plays opposite of Jason Verrett, it would mark the first time any combination has started multiple games this season. That combination started Week 3 against the Giants, when the team allowed a season-best 231 yards.
“Any time someone gets healthy, it gets a little bit more stabilizing,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “You get the guys back who have been through the fire and do the things in the way that you want them to. So that’s always helpful.”
Moseley has taken the unlikely rise from being an undrafted rookie in 2018 who had a season-ending injury early in the year to becoming a starter on last season’s top-ranked passing defense opposite Richard Sherman. He’s allowed an impressive 77.3 passer rating when targeted in his three games this season.
“First and foremost, he’s got such a great mindset in regards to being fearless,” Saleh said. “He does not care who he’s going against, he does not care about the situation. There’s no situation too big for him. He’s got such a great mental toughness to him and a great mindset to him.”
The 49ers, of course, started Brian Allen in Moseley’s place last week and he was torched for five catches, 124 yards, a touchdown and was flagged for two penalties before getting replaced by Ahkello Witherspoon.
—For the second straight day, linebacker Kwon Alexander (high ankle sprain) and cornerback Dontae Johnson (groin) missed practice. It remains likely Alexander is placed on injured reserve over the weekend, forcing him to miss at least three games.
—Two new players missed practice on Thursday after participating Wednesday: running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (calf) and second-string strong safety Marcell Harris (ankle).
Wilson was seen at practice doing a light work out on the side field, along with fellow running back Tevin Coleman, who remains on injured reserve with a knee injury. Coleman was doing light sprints, roughly 20 to 30 yards, and appears to be making progress towards an eventual return.
—Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and nose tackle D.J. Jones (eye) were listed as full participants for the second straight day.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 4:06 PM.
