3 players cleared to practice, might not play Sunday
Reinforcements are on the way ... but perhaps not immediately.
The 49ers opened the practice window of three players on injured reserve, tight end Jordan Reed, cornerback K’Waun Williams and running back Tevin Coleman, but head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated they mightay not be ready to play at Seattle on Sunday.
Coleman was limited in practice, and Reed and Williams remained sidelined. All three players have knee injuries.
“I think all three of those guys have a chance this week,” Shanahan said. “… We’ll see at the end of the week with them. I’m hoping more for the Green Bay game ( next Thursday). But I’m still holding out hope for this week.”
It was surprising the 49ers opened the practice window for Reed, who was expected to miss a minimum of six games after he suffered a sprained MCL in a win against the Giants in Week 3. Reed has missed four games.
In other injury news, wide receiver Richie James ( ankle) and starting safeties Jimmie Ward ( quadriceps) and Jaquiski Tartt ( groin) did not practice. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel ( hamstring) has been ruled out of Sunday’s game, and the 49ers will place running back Jeff Wilson ( ankle) on injured reserve this week. Cornerback Jason Verrett was given a day off.
For the Seahawks, AllPro safety Jamal Adams ( groin) did not return to practice for the first time since he was injured Sept. 27. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said before practice that Adams would return on a limited basis, but Adams was listed with an “illness” on Seattle’s practice participation report.
Other eyes on Aiyuk: The 49ers traded up six spots to select wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk with the No. 25 pick in April.
The Seahawks understood why.
“He’s really good — he’s a really good player,” Carroll said. “We had him in high regard on our end, too. We loved the guy coming out.”
Aiyuk has 20 receptions for 280 yards and a touchdown in six games and had season highs in catches ( six) and yards ( 115) in Sunday’s win at New England. He has added 69 yards and two scores on four carries this season.
“So you see that Brandon is not having any trouble making the transition” from Arizona State, Carroll said. “He’s just done a great job.”
Transactions: The 49ers signed undrafted rookie wide receiver Chris Finke to the practice squad.
The 49ers originally signed Finke after the draft in April and gave him $ 95,000 guaranteed, among the most money they gave to an undrafted rookie. Finke was waived July 28 with an injury designation.
Finke ( 5foot9, 186 pounds) was a slot receiver and punt returner at Notre Dame. He had 90 catches for 1,027 yards in his final two seasons.
The 49ers also signed defensive end Alex Barrett and cornerback Parnell Motley to the practice squad. The team had waived both players Monday.