Christian Kirk is back in the mix for the 49ers, and the timing could not be much better.
After nearly three months away because of a calf injury suffered on the first day of training camp, Kirk is set to rejoin practice Thursday in Santa Clara for the first time since the setback. The 49ers now have a three-week window to decide whether he is ready to come off Injured Reserve, where he could become the first of eight players the team is allowed to activate this regular season.
“He’s had some setbacks since the start of training camp so it’s been taking a while,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “He had a real good week, an awesome weekend, and he’s ready to give it a go.”
That return comes at a moment when the receiver room needs help. Kirk brings a track record the 49ers can use in a hurry: the ninth-year veteran has 432 career catches from stops in Arizona, Jacksonville and Houston.
The rest of the position group is dealing with its own injury mess. Deebo Samuel’s hamstring injury from Sunday’s 32-29 win in Seattle is a candidate to land him on Injured Reserve, and Shanahan said Samuel is expected to miss the next two games before the bye, including Monday night’s matchup with the Washington Commanders at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers enter that one at 5-0, while Washington is 1-3-1.
Mike Evans, the team’s leading wide receiver, was not practicing Thursday because of ribs and a newly disclosed Achilles issue. Shanahan said the Achilles concern did not sound major. Demarcus Robinson has to stay on IR for at least one more game because of his ankle, and De’Zhaun Stribling is unlikely to be back for another month after his own ankle injury.
There were more roster updates around the edges. Defensive end Ogbo Okornkwo is back on the 53-man roster after spending last weekend on the practice squad and being elevated for Sunday’s game.
To replace that practice squad opening, the 49ers signed linebacker Eugene Asante, an undrafted free agent from 2025 who has not yet appeared in an NFL game. He was brought in to help a linebacker group missing Dre Greenlaw, who is serving a one-game suspension, and Garrett Wallow, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Tatum Bethune, who has been inactive all season, and practice-squad linebacker Jalen Graham are among the options to make their season debuts.
Nick Bosa also remained out of practice Thursday as he works back from a calf injury that has kept him out the past three games. Shanahan would not close the door on Bosa for Monday night, though.
Other players not practicing Thursday included Wallow, defensive tackle James Thompson, who is dealing with an ankle injury, and safety Marques Seigel, who is also out with an ankle issue.
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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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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 🡒]