Shoulder sprained, but Foster set to play
Same shoulder, different injury.
Rookie inside linebacker Reuben Foster has a “mild AC joint sprain” in his surgically repaired right shoulder, according to the 49ers. However, the injury is not connected to the torn labrum he suffered during his senior season at Alabama, and head coach Kyle Shanahan anticipates Foster will play in Saturday’s preseason game against Denver.
Shanahan said, “We want to be smart with him, regardless, but I would expect him to.”
Foster, who was injured in a joint practice with the Broncos on Wednesday, was limited in Thursday’s practice and had a no-contact restriction. Shanahan said Foster was “very upset” he wasn’t allowed to participate in team drills.
Shanahan noted Foster’s injury is common among linebackers. NaVorro Bowman left practice early Thursday with a similar issue and later said he’s “probably had a million of these.”
Foster was viewed as a top-10 selection in the draft, but he slipped to No. 31 overall partly because of concerns about his shoulder. Some teams reportedly thought it would require a second surgery and cause him to miss the 2017 season.
On Wednesday, general manager John Lynch responded, “No, he’s good,” when asked if Foster had suffered a serious injury.
“I talked to him, and like Reuben, big smile, said, ‘I’m straight,’ ” Lynch said. “And so he’s good. He’s straight.”
On Thursday, the 49ers re-signed inside linebacker Shayne Skov, a Stanford alum who appeared in 24 games with the team from 2014 to ’16 and played primarily on special teams. On Wednesday, the 49ers waived/injured inside linebackers Donavin Newsom and Jayson DiManche. Fight clubs: After a civil joint practice Wednesday, several skirmishes marked the second and final session between the 49ers and Broncos.
One fight occurred after Denver safety Justin Simmons intercepted a pass and, about 20 yards away, cornerback Aqib Talib blocked 49ers wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who tackled him to the ground.
“At the end of the practice, (Garcon and Talib) were sitting, laughing with each other, talking,” Shanahan said. “Guys are competitive and guys support their teammates, and everyone’s got each other’s backs. So, anytime there’s a little scuffle on the field, it’s really hard to keep people back on both sides because everyone is so protective of each other. I think that says a lot about both teams.” QB competition: Shanahan said he expects rookie C.J. Beathard to be the first quarterback off the bench Saturday.
Shanahan’s tentative plan is for Beathard to replace starter Brian Hoyer in the first half and play into the third quarter.
Beathard has been sharing second-team snaps with Matt Barkley in practice. Last Friday, Barkley was the secondteamer in the preseason opener in Kansas City. Barkley completed 10 of 17 passes for 168 yards. Beathard completed 7 of 11 for 101 yards with two touchdowns. Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch