Nick Bosa’s return is still up in the air, but the 49ers are clearly hoping it comes soon.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said he “would love” to have Bosa back before the team’s Week 8 bye, though he stopped short of putting a timetable on it. Bosa has missed the last two weeks with a calf injury after returning to action from a torn ACL.
“Hopefully it’ll be sooner than later. We’d love to get him out there before our bye week,” Shanahan said, via KNBR. “I don’t think he’s far from playing, but still too early to tell.”
The 49ers may also get another defensive piece back on Sunday against Seattle. Per ESPN, defensive end Mykel Williams is set to make his season debut against the Seahawks.
Out in Arizona, Marvin Harrison Jr. is brushing off the noise around him. The Cardinals receiver recently hired agents Todd France and Tory Dandy after previously representing himself, and he told reporters Thursday that the trade chatter doesn’t register with him. Harrison also will not play against the Lions, as the team expects to have a deal in place for him on Monday.
“Truthfully, I pay it no mind,” Harrison said, via ESPN. “I’m only focused on Detroit, helping the Cardinals win football games at the moment. So whatever rumors you’re talking about, I don’t pay it no mind.”
In Seattle, linebacker Ernest Jones IV made it clear the team’s players-only meeting was a one-time thing. Jones said it’s the kind of conversation the Seahawks only needed once this season.
“ Just once, ” Jones said, via PFT. “ You address that and you address other things in the same situation, so you don’t have to get to it later.
Just once. ”
He also explained why the coaching staff wasn’t part of the discussion.
“ We’re the ones going out there doing it, ” Jones said. “ Putting our bodies on the line so we don’t want to be doing it and costing the team.
I don’t think it means more coming from one person, but having your brothers speak to you and come to you, it may do a little difference. ”
In Other News...
Cardinals Deadline Chatter Around Marvin Harrison Jr Just Got Very Real
The trade chatter around Marvin Harrison Jr. has moved beyond idle deadline noise, with the Cardinals now reportedly treating the second-year wideout as a real name to watch over the next stretch of front-office maneuvering. Drafted fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Harrison has already become one of the more notable players potentially available, even as he has continued to say his focus is on playing for Arizona and not on the speculation swirling around him.
For the Cardinals, the situation is especially delicate because Harrison has only appeared in four games this season, which keeps the door open for all kinds of leaguewide interest if the asking price comes together. The broader question now is less about whether teams will call and more about how aggressive Arizona intends to be in discussing a deal, with the deadline pressure turning every rumor into something worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Face A Dangerous Detroit Test That Could Turn Into A Shootout
Through four games, Detroit has looked like the kind of opponent that can make life uncomfortable for almost anyone, including Arizona. The Lions have paired a productive offense with a defense that can create a very different sort of stress, and the matchup has the feel of one that could lean toward a high-scoring afternoon if the Cardinals cannot control tempo and limit big plays.
Ryan Mathews of Pride of Detroit pointed out that the Lions offense has already been among the leagues more efficient groups, even if the missing burst on explosive plays still leaves a little mystery in how high the ceiling really goes. On the other side, the Lions defense has not been as clean as its front line might suggest, which is part of what makes this game so interesting for Arizona: it is the kind of test where both teams can move the ball, and where the question may be less about whether points will come and more about who can keep the exchange from getting out of hand. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Bring New Distraction Into Cardinals Matchup At Worst Time
The Lions are walking into their Week 5 meeting with the Cardinals carrying a little extra attention from the league office. Detroit was hit with fines after its Week 4 game, with linebacker Jack Campbell and tight end Brock Wright each drawing discipline for separate plays that officials reviewed as dangerous. The timing is less than ideal for a Lions team trying to keep the focus on Arizona, even if these kinds of penalties are hardly the sort that change a game plan by themselves.
Campbells fine came for a hip-drop tackle, while Wright was fined for a leg whip, and both cases remain in the appeal window. For the Cardinals, it is the sort of pregame wrinkle that can linger around a matchup when an opponent is already under the microscope, especially against a defense that will have to be sharp and disciplined to avoid giving Arizona extra openings. [Read more 🡒]