Pass rushers Ford, Buckner sidelined

Jimmy Garoppolo said Thursday that the 49ers’ defensive line was filled with “monsters,” but the front was slightly less fearsome in practice.

That’s because defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was sidelined with a mild toe strain and pass rusher Dee Ford was held out of team drills because of knee tendinitis, head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Shanahan downplayed Ford’s knee issue as precautionary, noting he also dealt with it in training camp at times during his five seasons with Kansas City. Ford left practice early Tuesday with what the team said were quadriceps and finger issues.

“Talking to him, it doesn’t seem like a cause for concern,” Shanahan said. “... He could have (practiced), but we just didn’t think it was necessary.”

Meanwhile, injuryplagued backup guard Joshua Garnett, a 2016 firstround pick on the roster bubble, will miss three weeks after undergoing finger surgery. Garnett dislocated his right ring finger Sunday before sustaining the same injury Monday.

“He tried to come out and practice with it, but it kept popping out,” Shanahan said. “That was going to continue to happen, so we had to make the decision to get surgery.”

In other injury news, Shanahan said running back Jerick McKinnon (knee) won’t be removed from the physically unable to perform list before Sunday. On Monday, Shanahan said the 49ers would discuss McKinnon’s situation during their day off Wednesday and said he expected McKinnon to be activated “sooner than later.”

In addition, running back Jeff Wilson (calf ) will be sidelined for “one to two weeks.” Defensive lineman Kapron LewisMoore left practice with a “grointype injury,” Shanahan said. Lock in, QB: Garoppolo has these words scribbled on his wristband: “robot mindset.”

He was asked what the phrase signifies.

“It’s just kind of a thing that I keep in my head just to stay locked in,” Garoppolo said. “You don’t want to be distracted by the fans or the music or anything like that. As a quarterback, that’s what you have to do. You have to have that robot mindset.”

Added Garoppolo: “It’s just a little reminder for me to look down every once in a while and read that. It helps me.”