Shanahan offers encouraging injury news.
SANTA CLARA >> The RSVP list is coming along nicely for the 49ers’ season opener.
Tight end George Kittle is in, judging by his impressive return to practice Wednesday after a week away with a tight hamstring.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said he’d be “very surprised” if Nick Bosa and Dee Ford are not in the Sept. 13 lineup, which is encouraging because neither has practiced since Aug. 21 because of leg strains.
Clarity likely won’t come until next week for several other projected starters who remain out with injuries, including wide receivers Deebo Samuel (foot) and Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring), linebackers Fred Warner Jr. (COVID-19 reserve) and Dre Greenlaw (concussion), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (hamstring) and center Ben Garland (ankle).
Held out of practice for the first time since practice began last month were wide receiver Trent Taylor and defensive end Dion Jordan, and whether they were merely resting or injured, the 49ers do not have to officially disclose any player’s status until next Wednesday’s first injury report of the season.
Kittle offered the best visual on this Wednesday. He showed no hindrance with his burst off the line of scrimmage to catch a handful of Jimmy Garoppolo passes in offensive warmups. The full-team drills are closed to media viewing for the season’s remainder.
TAYLOR HAS FANS >> Taylor’s absence was noticeable because he’s looked so steady in his comeback the past month. He required foot surgery a year ago and missed the ensuing season because of multiple injuries to clear out an infection.
“I’m really proud for him and happy for him that he’s able to stick with that, for all the adversity he faced,” Shanahan said. “He’s obsessed with getting into Week 1 and playing. He’s as tough as anyone I’ve been around and I’m really pulling for him.”
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who thrived on an instant connection with Taylor in December 2017, seems just as encouraged at Taylor’s comeback.
“Trent’s been so consistent through the whole camp, the way he communicates what he’s seeing out there and feeling from the (defensive backs),” Garoppolo said. “To have a guy I know where he’ll be and can count on him, it makes my job a lot easier.”
GUARD/CENTER ISSUES >> Garland won’t return to practice until next week because of an early-camp ankle sprain that has clouded, among other things, the right-guard competition between Daniel Brunskill and Tom Compton (or Colton McKivitz).
“I wouldn’t want to give you the answer,” Shanahan told reporters of who’ll start, “but I truly don’t know the answer because of the situation.”
“It’s always difficult mixing and matching,” Garoppolo said. “But, at training camp, we’ve done it before, and with injuries you never know what will happen during the season.”
Defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said of Brunskill: “Dan’s had a great camp, he’s a great player and he’s versatile. It’s going to be fun to see his progression and see what a great teammate he is, ready to step in wherever we need him.”
EAST COAST LAYOVER >> The 49ers plan to stay at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia between their games against the Jets (Sept. 20) and Giants (Sept. 27), Shanahan confirmed.
Since 2011, the 49ers routinely have stayed back east on back-toback road games. Last year, they spent a week in Youngstown, Ohio, between their season-opening wins at Tampa Bay and Cincinnati, and the stayed in Florida last December between games against Baltimore and New Orleans.
STADIUM NOISE >> The 49ers took practice inside Levi’s Stadium again to experiment with the fake crowd noise, or lack thereof if they choose not to use any. Could that impact Shanahan’s volume on how he relays play calls?
“If it’s silent in there, it’s definitely going to be a difference,” Shanahan said. “I don’t call them loud anyway because it’d drive the quarterback crazy if I screamed into the microphone into their ear. I try to sound normal, unless in New Orleans and I can’t hear myself think.
“The defensive calls to me is a bigger deal. Every time you change strengths and you can hear what the middle linebacker says in all their calls, a lot of quarterbacks can pick up on that.”
The NFL has yet to announce what will be allowed, but expect a blend of music between snaps and static crowd noise at roughly half the recorddecibel rating of Arrowhead Stadium (142.2).
As for whether a quarterback’s cadence could draw more offside penalties, Thomas said he and fellow linemen must stay true to their get-off keys, such as watching the back of the ball being snapped or an offensive lineman’s movement. “You don’t want to rely on cadence because that’s when you jump offside,” Thomas said.
‘FAITHFUL TO THE BAY’ >> New signage has gone up this week along the Levi’s Stadium facade, and it comes with a new slogan defining the 49ers’ reclaimed position in the Bay Area’s one-team market, now that the Raiders have skipped town — again.
“Faithful To The Bay” posters have been put up, some alongside pictures of key players including Kittle, Garoppolo, linebacker Fred Warner and Juszczyk.
NEW DEFENSIVE END >> Cameron Malveaux was signed before practice, but why? The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end figures to help in the rotation over the coming days. Malveaux was needed to help compensate for the line’s injuries, including Jonathan Congbo, who was waived last week with a groin injury.
Jordan did not practice for the first time, but the 2013 No. 3 overall draft pick drew praise for his earlier work, Shanahan adding: “He’s earned a lot of my respect.”
Malveaux, 25, played 13 games and had two sacks during his time with the Miami Dolphins (2017-18) and Cardinals (2018). The Houston product spent this past offseason with Washington, which waived him Aug. 3.
IMPRESSION OF WHITE >> Wide receiver Kevin White has made a positive first impression after signing last week. His 6-3, 216-pound frame looks imposing, even if leg and shoulder fractures turned him into a first-round draft bust with the Chicago Bears from 2015-18. White did not play last season after getting cut in the Arizona Cardinals’ camp.
“I’m just glad for him he’s got another opportunity,” Shanahan said. “Just from being a top-10 pick and the way he’s come in, he’s been very eager to learn, he’s been great to have around and I wish we could have him around longer.”