San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Friday morning to discuss the team's big Week 1 victory over the New York Jets and their upcoming road matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Lynch also provided an update on safety Talanoa Hufanga, who is recovering from his ACL injury in November 2023.
Hufanga has been on the active roster and practicing with the team since shortly after the initial 53-man roster cut-down. Still, the 49ers are being cautious with his return, hoping to avoid any setbacks for the All-Pro safety.
When asked about Hufanga's status for this weekend, Lynch said, "We'll see. Huf's getting really close. One thing he's doing, he's running the scout team to get his reps, and then he's starting to work some reps in with our defense. Huff is getting there. I don't know if it will be this week. We'll see. He did take some reps with our guys, so we'll see if we're going to pull the trigger there.
"I think he's ready, and it's just like, do we cut him loose now or do we hold up? So we'll see there, but [we're] very encouraged with the way he's trending."
On Thursday, tackle Trent Williams was asked if he needs to offer any advice to rookie offensive lineman Dominick Puni ahead of his first regular-season road game, considering the challenge of playing in front of a U.S. Bank Stadium crowd, which can be tough for visiting teams.
Williams, somewhat surprised by the question, admitted he often forgets that Puni is a rookie.
"He's just so mature for his age," Williams said. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll have time to discuss it. He's so ahead of the curve, though. He probably don't need much from me."
Lynch was also impressed with Puni's performance in his first regular-season outing.
"I thought he was tremendous," Lynch said. "It wouldn't be fair to him to just say 'steady' because he's been more than steady. It was fun watching Trent's reaction. Trent isn't easily impressed ... and Trent came in, and it was like, 'Damn.' He kept saying that. Like, this kid, he really gets it. I think he's got a calm about him, but then he's got some really good abilities—strength, movement, all of it.
"We really liked him coming out of school, and part of it [was] he wasn't fazed by anything. He played all five positions at Kansas and he did it well. But I would tell you, you see things on film, and then there's guys who look even better in person. He's one of those guys. He's been better.
"I think our style—where a lot of people play laterally, and that's what a lot of systems who run the outside zone [do]—we don't. We attack people with the offensive line. We get out and run, and I think he's really bought in, and that lends to his aggressive style, and he's got a really good skill set."
