With less than two weeks to go before the season opener versus the Chicago Bears, the 49ers are trending in the right direction health-wise. The team welcomed back three expected starters to padded practice over the last couple days.
Charvarius Ward AKA Mooney Ward and Elijah Mitchell returned to practice on Sunday after sitting out of team activities for the last three weeks. The cornerback suffered a groin injury days before San Francisco's preseason opener versus the Green Bay Packers.
"I feel great. I'm ready to go," Ward said. "Conditioning, cardio, my technique and ball skills — I've been working on everything to try and get better."
The second-year running back also missed the entirety of the preseason slate due to a hamstring injury. Much like his rookie year, Mitchell did not get to participate in many of the team's training camp practices. Once again, he will be tasked with gearing up for the regular season opener on limited reps. Mitchell shared how he prepped for Week 1 as a rookie.
"Even before I came in, I was preparing my body for everything," Mitchell said. "Even though my body got hurt, my body was still in the right shape. One thing Bobby T. (Turner) did, once I got hurt, was go over the script with me on the side, just to keep my head in the game."
Rounding out the trio of players on the mend is offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey. Monday, he suited up for practice for the first time since suffering a knee injury against the Packers. During the open portion of practice, McGlinchey was seen participating in 1-on-1 drills versus his fellow linemen.
