The San Francisco 49ers began their regular Week 1 preparations Thursday with their first practice on a normal practice schedule.
With their opener Monday night against the New York Jets, the weekly schedule was pushed back one day with the first practice of the week landing on Thursday instead of the normal Wednesday slot.
The significance of Thursday’s session compared to the bonus practice the 49ers had Tuesday is that Thursday’s came with the league-mandated practice participation report.
San Francisco had seven players listed as either non-participants or limited participants in their first regular session of the year.
Here’s the full participation report:
Did not participate
LB Dee Winters (ankle)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
There’s no real surprise here. Winters has been absent from practice with his injury, and Gross-Matos was considered week-to-week after suffering a knee sprain in the preseason finale. If neither practices Friday it won’t bode well for their chances to suit up against the Jets.
Limited participation
LG Aaron Banks (finger)
RB Isaac Guerendo (groin)
S Talanoa Hufanga (knee)
WR Jauan Jennings (ankle)
RB Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles)
The McCaffrey injuries are the ones to watch closest. The Achilles aspect is a new addition to the calf strain we’ve heard about since early in training camp. It’s not a great sign for Guerendo that he’s now dealing with a groin issue after suffering a hamstring injury that cost him most of training camp. Hufanga is still working in after missing all of camp because of his recovery from ACL surgery late last season. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s limited all week and misses Monday’s game as the team ramps him back up.
Full participation
LB Tatum Bethune (ankle)
OL Spencer Burford (hand)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (back, knee)
Good news all around here. Burford broke his hand early in camp and will provide key depth on the interior of the 49ers offensive line. Wishnowsky missed all of the preseason with his injuries, but it appears he’s on track to play in the opener.