The 49ers returned to practice on Wednesday to begin preparations for the 4-1 Los Angeles Rams. That also included cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.
Moseley missed the last three games while dealing with a concussion. The cornerback saw a specialist last week, which assisted his progression while in concussion protocol. Moseley returned to practice on Wednesday in a limited capacity, wearing a blue non-contact jersey. With Moseley and Richard Sherman (calf) out, San Francisco's passing defense has seen a decline in production. Last week against the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco gave up over 340 yards passing, the most allowed since Week 14 of the 2019 season (vs. New Orleans Saints – 349).
According to Pro Football Focus, San Francisco's main starters at corner have allowed a passer rating of 71.2 through five weeks (Moseley, Sherman, K'Waun Williams, Jason Verrett), compared to their replacements who have allowed opposing quarterbacks a perfect rating of 158.3.
Of note, the 49ers have yet to open Sherman's practice window from Injured Reserve, as the corner encountered some setbacks in his recovery from a calf injury suffered in the season opener. The corner received non-surgical shots in his calf this week in an attempt to alleviate inflammation.
As San Francisco's cornerbacks work their way back to full strength, the 49ers are likely to be without one of their key contributors at the linebacker position. The 49ers confirmed Kwon Alexander suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 5 loss to the Dolphins. Alexander did not practice on Wednesday and is likely to miss some time with his injury.
Barring any setbacks, Jimmy Garoppolo will get the start on "Sunday Night Football" against the Rams. Although Garoppolo is still working through the effects of his ankle injury suffered in Week 2, the quarterback was a full participant during Wednesday's session.
"He's ready to go out there," Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday. "He's still coming back from it, but expect him to have a full practice and I'll evaluate him out there."
Shanahan hasn't decided which of the 49ers backups will play behind Garoppolo in Week 6. Last week, C.J. Beathard served as the quarterback's backup with Nick Mullens a healthy scratch. Both quarterbacks will be further evaluated this week.
"I'm going to have both of those guys go a little bit. Haven't fully decided that," Shanahan said. "They've both gotten about equal reps. I know Nick got a ton more the last two weeks, C.J. got a lot more last week. But I haven't decided on that yet. Kind of depends on how Jimmy goes and if he's struggling, I'll make a decision with both of them getting more reps."
