49ers notebook: Sherman, Ford unlikely back before bye; team trades for Jets pass rusher

Richard Sherman and Dee Ford won’t be back from their injuries to help the 49ers defense any time soon.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that neither player is expected to be back on the practice field until after the team’s Week 11 bye week in late November which means San Francisco will have to wade through its toughest stretch of the schedule without two of its most important defenders.

Both players have been out since the season opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Sherman has been dealing with a nagging calf issue, while Ford initially had neck discomfort that the team later termed a back injury. Both players have recently gotten injections for treatment. Sherman had his injections last week to curtail inflammation.

“Now he’s in a boot just taking care of it, making sure it heals and let those take course,” Shanahan said. “It’s obviously going a little longer than we expected. Got to play it smart with him, but I don’t see it being week-to-week right now. I see it being probably until around our bye week.”

Sherman’s calf injury is notable, of course, because he’s had a series of issues relating to his Achilles tendons in both legs. The all-decade corner and 2019 All-Pro had surgery on both in recent seasons, including a procedure to repair a ruptured Achilles midway through the 2017 season with the Seahawks. He later had surgery on the other the following spring and had sutures removed from the initial injury following his first campaign with the 49ers in 2018.

Ford also has a history of back issues. He had surgeries on his back in 2011 while at Auburn and 2017 with the Chiefs, when he appeared in just six games.

“He’s gotten the work he’s needed, he’s gotten the shots he’s needed, he’s rested it and now he’s just starting to get back into some things, but still a ways away on that,” Shanahan said on Ford.

San Francisco’s bye comes after games at the Patriots (2-3), Seahawks (4-0), home to the Packers (4-1) and on the road against Saints (3-2). The tough stretch continues after the bye with a road game against the Rams (4-2) and Monday night game at home against the Buffalo Bills (4-2).

The good news is San Francisco has gotten strong play at cornerback from Jason Verrett, who has taken over Sherman’s role as the “field” cornerback that plays to the wide side of the field while Emmanuel Moseley plays on the “boundary” side.

Both players had strong games Sunday against the Rams as they combined for five pass break ups and an interception by way of Verrett’s fourth-down pick of Jared Goff in the end zone, which was San Francisco’s most important defensive play of the game.

49ers trade for Jordan Willis

San Francisco made a move on Wednesday to help fill the void left by the absences of Nick Bosa and Ford. The team is acquiring Jets pass rusher Jordan Willis, a 2017 third-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, a league source confirmed to The Bee.

Though the 49ers probably shouldn’t have sky-high expectations. Willis lasted just two seasons with the team that drafted him and registered two sacks in 32 games before being released. He went to play for the Jets the past two years and had seven tackles, a forced fumble and a sack in 11 games.

The 25-year-old played at Kansas State and entered the NFL with impressive physical tools. His 40-yard dash (4.53), vertical jump (39 inches), broad jump (125 inches) and 3-cone drill were all in the 93rd percentile or better among defensive ends.

According to the NFL Network, the 49ers received Willis and a 2021 seventh-round pick for a 2022 sixth-round selection.

The trade isn’t expected to be finalized this week because of travel and COVID-19 protocol. Willis is expected to join the team next week before the road game against the Seattle Seahawks. He’ll likely work into a rotational role with Arik Armstead, Kerry Hyder and Dion Jordan.

Trent Williams sits with ankle injury

Left tackle Trent Williams did not practice Wednesday, though there was a hint of encouraging news regarding his sprained ankle. Further testing revealed it wasn’t a dreaded high ankle sprain, which has plagued his offensive teammates, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and most recently, running back Raheem Mostert.

Williams had testing on the ankle early in the week and Shanahan indicated his status for Sunday’s game against the Patriots is up in the air.

“It showed that nothing was broken and that it wasn’t a high ankle (sprain), so that was good news, but still in too much pain to practice today,” Shanahan said. “I know he’ll be questionable throughout the week, so hopefully it’ll get better each day, but it’s not there yet.”

With Williams out, it’s likely the 49ers would start Justin Skule at left tackle. Skule, a 2019 sixth-round draft pick, played admirably in his eight starts last season while filling in for Joe Staley while he dealt with injury. Shanahan said Skule had a good offseason despite the pandemic and came into training camp bigger and stronger.

“Skule has gotten a lot better,” Shanahan said. “He did a good job last year for us getting thrown in there early, having to start those number of games at tackle. You always get nervous when you’re away from people, especially going into their second year in an offseason, but you can tell however he spent his quarantine time that he did it the right way.”

▪ Other 49ers who didn’t practice Wednesday: linebacker Kwon Alexander (ankle), Mostert (ankle) and safety Jaquiski Tartt (groin).

San Francisco might promote veteran Johnathan Cyprien from the practice squad for the Patriots game if Tartt can’t play. Marcell Harris replaced Tartt midway through Sunday’s win over the Rams after Tartt’s exit.

Limited at practice were cornerback Dontae Johnson (groin), who hadn’t played since the Oct. 4 Eagles game, and running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (calf). Wilson’s injury came during practice last Wednesday and it kept him from playing against L.A.

▪ The 49ers on Wednesday promoted linebacker Joe Walker from the practice squad and re-signed undrafted free agent linebacker Jonas Griffith, who signed in the spring and was with the team during training camp. Tight end Daniel Helm was signed to the practice squad after being waived from the active roster on Tuesday.

This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 3:53 PM.