The 49ers came out of the bye with a chance to start patching together a roster that’s been battered by injuries, and four familiar names were back on the practice field in limited fashion Wednesday.
The biggest one is Nick Bosa. He’s been sidelined since Week 2 with a calf injury and has now missed the last five games, but his return to practice is a strong sign the 49ers are at least moving toward getting their top edge rusher back soon.
The team may choose to bring him along carefully, but his limited work points to a Week 10 return at the latest. Bosa is listed as questionable for the game.
That matters even more with Mykel Williams also in the mix to keep developing. If Bosa is back and Williams keeps taking steps forward, the 49ers’ edge rusher room starts to look a lot better than it did earlier in the year.
San Francisco also opened the 21-day practice window for receiver Ricky Pearsall Robinson, which gives the team a clear path to getting him back within the next three weeks. Robinson had been placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and with De’Zhaun Stribling and Deebo Samuel out, the timing could hardly be better. Robinson is expected to return this week.
That would be a welcome lift for a receiver group that has been stretched thin.
The other two names to watch are in the secondary. Upton Stout Hobbs, who was signed by the Packers last offseason before being released after an injury-filled season, has barely practiced since joining the 49ers, but he was back in a limited role on Wednesday.
San Francisco cut Jack Jones last week, and that could open the door for rookie Ephesians Prysock to handle dime snaps. It could also mean the 49ers are hoping Hobbs can step into that role this week.
Then there’s Marques Sigle, who started at safety for the 49ers in the first four weeks before an ankle injury knocked him out. Malik Mustapha has played well in his absence, so the team has not seemed desperate to rush Sigle back. Still, he returned to practice in a limited capacity and should be back this week or next.
The bigger question there is how the 49ers plan to use him. Sigle could replace Mustapha, or the team could decide to bench Ji’Ayir Brown instead. That call could come this week.
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