There are a number of questions surrounding the availability of a number of San Francisco 49ers coming off of their Week 6 Bye. In particular, who will lead San Francisco under center in their Week 7 primetime matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Jimmy Garoppolo made his return to practice on Monday after dealing with a calf injury in the 49ers Week 4 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Despite an attempt to make a push to return before the Bye, head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to pull the plug on the quarterback in Week 5 after missing all three of the team's practices, giving rookie Trey Lance his first look at starting reps.
Following Lance's first start under center, Shanahan revealed the rookie suffered a knee sprain and is expected to miss 1-2 weeks. Garoppolo and Lance remained at the team facility to rehab from their respective injuries over the Bye and both would be further evaluated once the team returned to practice on Monday.
Garoppolo was on the field during the team's first session of the week, meanwhile, there were no signs of Lance during the team's limited periods open to the media. Alongside Garoppolo, Nate Sudfeld, who is currently on the team's practice squad, is the 49ers lone option to back up the quarterback if Lance is unable to go.
"Seemed like Jimmy," Trent Williams said of the quarterback's return to practice. "He was fighting to get back last week. Seeing him this week, he seems like he's been ready. If there was a game last week, he would have been OK to play."
"So, yeah, Jimmy looks like Jimmy."
The 49ers will reconvene at the SAP Performance Facility on Wednesday to continue preparations for the Colts, which will be San Francisco's next opportunity to evaluate Lance's readiness for Week 7.
The team welcomed a few additional faces back to practice, including running back JaMycal Hasty, whose practice window was opened ahead of the session. Hasty was placed on Injured Reserve with a high-ankle sprain following the 49ers Week 2 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. After spending three game weeks on IR, Hasty is a candidate to be elevated to the active roster ahead of Week 7.
Additionally, nickel corner K'Waun Williams made a return to practice. Williams was inactive the last two contests while working through a calf injury and could provide a boost for San Francisco's secondary if he's available for Sunday.
"To me, he is the best nickel in the league," Jimmie Ward said. "K.K. can play man coverage, he can play zone coverage, he can blitz. He creates turnovers. He's a problem. I don't even think too many guys block him, they have to double team him a lot. He's the best nickel in this league. So, having him back on the field, that's a threat for any offensive coordinator."
