Jordan Mason and Malik Mustapha will also be limited.
The San Francisco 49ers return to practice Wednesday afternoon after a day off Tuesday. There was a lengthy injury report. The following players won’t practice:
K Matthew Wright (shoulder/back)
K Jake Moody (ankle)
WR Jauan Jennings (hip)
DT Maliek Collins (knee)
DE Leonard Floyd (vet day)
Jennings won’t practice with a hip injury. Kyle Shanahan said Jennings had something from last Thursday’s game, but the team didn’t have that info on Friday morning.
If Wright can’t play, it’s up to Anders Carlson, who was just signed to the 49ers practice squad on Tuesday. Shanahan was asked if it’s a concern that Carlson has a low touchback rate:
Everything’s a concern, especially when guys are available. If there were zero concerns, I think guys would be somewhere right now. You look into that and try to make the best option.
I thought our guy last week did a hell of a job coming in and being 3-for-3. There’s a lot of kickoffs we wish would have gone in into the end zone. We had that with Robbie [Gould] toward the end of his career.
He was an automatic kicker but didn’t always get it out there. We tried it with Mitch [Wishnowsky]. That’s stuff you always want, but it’s not guaranteed. Especially as the year gets going and it gets colder. That’s why we have to get better kickoff coverage as it goes also.”
These players will be limited:
Deebo Samuel (wrist)
S Malik Mustapa (ankle)
DT Jordan Elliott (knee)
RB Jordan Mason (shoulder)
Samuel left Week 6 briefly after what appeared to be a jammed finger. He eventually returned to the game. His status as the week progresses is worth monitoring. Shanahan did not have any further info about Samuel’s wrist injury.
Mason and Mustapha are key starters who the 49ers cannot afford to be without against the Kansas City Chiefs. Mason is the precise type of runner you want against the Chiefs defense, a unit Shanahan said was the best the Niners faced last year, and he feels the same this season.
Mustapha continues to impress and will only get better with more reps. Kansas City has one vertical threat you worry about, but it’s the type of offense where he can make his impact felt as a tackler. Hopefully, the rookie’s ankle is feeling better come Sunday.
