The San Francisco 49ers have struggled with injuries in the NFL so far this season but have received a welcome boost ahead of the match against the New England Patriots this weekend.
Tight end George Kittle (hamstring), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf), left tackle Trent Williams (illness), and quarterback Brock Purdy (back soreness) were all on the field at the start of practice this week.
Kittle participated in his second consecutive session after missing last week’s loss against the Los Angeles Rams.
It was also a promising step for Samuel, who practiced for the first time since sustaining his calf injury in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.
However, during Thursday’s session, linebacker Curtis Robinson suffered a knee injury during a special teams drill and was carted off the field.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who is expected to step into a starting role with Javon Hargrave out, also sustained a foot injury later in practice.
Purdy summed up the 49ers’ bad luck this year, saying: “It sucks anytime you see a teammate go down or anything like that.
Hear from Nick Sorensen, Chris Foerster and Brock Purdy ahead of Week 4. https://t.co/zQjXDDLYiq
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 26, 2024
“I’m just trying to practice, get ready for this game and everything, and then you look over and you see a cart on the field, so it’s like, ‘Dang it. Who is that? What happened?’
“And then we’ve got to keep going and finish practice.
“Whoever goes down, we have always got their back and we’ll be there for them and continue to build them up and try to get them back as fast as possible,” Purdy said.
Both Kittle and Samuel were listed as limited participants in Thursday’s practice.
Despite the limited participation, Kittle seemed optimistic about his chances of playing on Sunday.
He said: “I’m very excited to play football.
“I think there have been some circumstances that have happened this year, so we’re just trying to cover our bases and be as honest as possible. But no, I am feeling fantastic.”
“We thought I was going to be 100% fine [against the Rams] and it just ended up not. So that’s how that turned out.”
