The 49ers got one of their most encouraging updates of the week with Christian Kirk opening his practice window after a long stretch on the sideline. Kirk has been out since the first day of training camp, and Kyle Shanahan said the receiver has finally strung together a clean stretch.
Shanahan said Kirk had a “real good week and an awesome weekend,” and Thursday will be his first official day back. Kirk has been away from game action for three and a half months, so the 49ers are expected to be patient with his return. San Francisco has two games left before its bye, and the club can afford to let him build back up before asking him to contribute in full.
The injury picture around him is still messy. Deebo Samuel, Garret Wallow, James Thompson, Nick Bosa, Marques Sigle and Mike Evans were all out at Thursday’s practice, while Evans was listed as limited. Shanahan said Evans is dealing with Achilles soreness, and the designation came with ribs and Achilles listed on the report.
Bosa’s status for Monday night remains unsettled, but Shanahan sounded cautiously optimistic. “Hoping he can go, but not going to practice today,” he said, adding that he does not believe it will be the kind of issue that hangs around for the rest of the season.
There’s also no chance of a quick Nick Martin return. With Greenlaw suspended and Wallow dealing with a hamstring injury, some wondered whether Martin could be back in the mix, but Shanahan shut that down. “He’s not getting up this week,” he said.
Samuel’s situation is also worth watching. Shanahan said the receiver could land on injured reserve, but the bye week is part of the reason the team is holding off for now.
“I think if we didn’t have that bye week, it’d be around that area. But gaining that week where we don’t play is still why we’re trying to wait on that right now.
And hope we don’t have to do it.”
The 49ers also added some depth on the roster and practice squad. Ogbo Okoronkwo was promoted to the active roster, and linebacker Eugene Asante was signed to the practice squad.
Asante is a likely elevation for Monday Night Football with Greenlaw suspended and Wallow hurt. He’s expected to help on special teams, especially covering kicks.
Asante entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2025 and has already bounced through the practice squads of the Dolphins, Browns, Falcons and Cardinals. Arizona released him from its practice squad on October 13. He posted a 4.48 40-yard dash and a 10-yard split in the 96th percentile.
Shanahan also described De’Zhaun Stribling as “a ways away,” though he believes the receiver is trending in the right direction. Demarcus Robinson has an “outside chance” to return before the bye week, but Shanahan made it clear the expectation is more likely a return after the bye.
In Other News...
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For a team that has already had to navigate the on-field fallout from the incident, the developments bring the matter back into the spotlight in a more concrete way. The suspects were arrested between Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, underscoring how long the case has taken to unwind after White was injured in the shooting earlier this year. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the numbers even more alarming for opponents is how rarely the offense hurts itself. The 49ers are one of the leagues cleanest units, and once they get near the goal line, they finish with ruthless consistency. That combination of staying ahead of the sticks and turning scoring chances into touchdowns is a big reason Shanahans play-calling has looked so hard to solve, and it leaves little comfort for anyone trying to slow this group down. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Have An Uncomfortable Eddy Pieiro Problem Brewing
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Pieiro already has five missed kicks on the season, matching his total from all of last year, and that kind of wobble tends to draw attention fast in a place that expects to contend. The Niners are winning enough to keep the issue from becoming a crisis, but the inconsistency is real enough to linger, especially with so much of the margin in close games often coming down to one swing of the leg. [Read more 🡒]