Mostert finds twist to team’s ankle woes
One thing Raheem Mostert painfully learned this season is that every high ankle sprain is different. The 49ers have had plenty from which to learn.
Two games into his return from an ankle injury, Moster t ack nowledged Thursday: “It’s not going to be 100%. It’s a nagging feeling but I’ve got to overcome, which I’ve been doing a great job.”
No injury has nagged these casualty-strewn 49ers more than the dreaded high ankle sprain, which typically comes with a 4- 6week recovery. Others to endure it were fellow running backs Jeff Wilson Jr. and Tevin Coleman, along with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and cornerback K’Waun Williams.
Mostert noted that some ankle sprains are more severe than others, and as for Garoppolo’s, he added: “I believe it was a little more than that and why he hasn’t been able to play.” Garoppolo tried returning after a two-game absence with
mixed results, then left a Nov. 1 loss with what coach Kyle Shanahan initially termed “a whole new” ankle sprain that is keeping him sidelined until at least Week 16.
Neither Mostert nor Wilson ran for 50 yards in each of their two games since returning from ankle injuries, and Mostert cited the 49ers’ lack of possessions as a key reason for Monday night’s lack of production in a 34-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Next up is a Washington defense Sunday that ranks 10th against the run (107.1 yards per game). The 49ers’ rushing attack, which ranked No. 2 last season, is now 18th (109.8 ypg.). WILLIAMS ON WASHING - TON >> Acquired in a draftday trade from Washington, left tackle Trent Williams deflected a question as to whether he wants to go in that franchise’s ring of honor. Instead, he noted: “I’m a San Francisco 49er now, and my goal is to end up in their ring of fame.”
That could take re-signing Williams to the richest deal for an offensive tackle in NFL history. He is slated for free agency, and the 49ers agreed in a summer contract revision it would not franchise tag him to retain his 2021 rights.
Cor nerback R ichard Sherman noted that one reason it will take a miracle for himself to re-sign is that the cap- constrained 49ers will have to budget for Williams, as well as a Fred Warner extension.
“T here are 40 free agents, they’ll probably have $30 million or less in cap (space),” Sherman said, “and they’ve got to bring back Trent, who costs over $20 million, and they have to pay Fred, who costs over $18 million a year. Anybody who knows the situation understands that.”
“I definitely feel I fit in here,” Williams said. “This offense is tailor made for guys like me and this team is built to compete for years to come.”
Williams said he harbors no animosity toward Washington, and that he views his decade-long legacy there as a productive one, citing his seven Pro Bowls and being a captain nine times. “If you talk to people who don’t know much about the situation and want to be negative, they’ll probably say I betrayed the team,” added Williams, who got dealt for the 49ers’ 2021 third-round pick.
Williams’ tough task Sunday will be to block Chase Young and Montez Sweat, first-round picks in 2020 and ’19. How does
Young size up with Nick Bosa, a fellow Ohio State product who Williams blocked in training camp? “They’re very active with their hands, always moving, not an easy target to hit,” Williams said. “Chase has a lot of athletic ability that you can’t teach. It’s just the gene-pool lottery.” ARMSTEAD HONORED >> Defensive lineman Arik Armstead called it humbling to receive the 49ers’ nomination for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award, which he worked toward by helping educate Sacramento- area youth with his reading program and bringing attention in media sessions to social inequalities.
After producing a career-high 10 sacks last season and landing a new contract (five years, $85 million), Armstead has started every game this season but produced only 11/2 sacks. “Last year we had a plethora of opportunities to get after the quarterback, playing with leads, playing in certain situations where you’re just rushing and getting after it,” Armstead said. “Things haven’t really been that way this year. We’re finding ways to get better and grow as a unit.”
PRACTICE REPORT >> Receiver Deebo Samuel (foot contusion) practiced in limited fashion after sitting out Wednesday’s session. Also limited were cornerback K’Waun Williams (ankle) and center Hroniss Grasu ( knee). Still out of practice were cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring), guard Tom Compton (concussion) and defensive linemen D. J. Jones (ankle) and Kevin Givens (personal reason).
ALEX SMITH WANTS TO END UP IN BAY AREA WHEN HE RETIRES >> Alex Smith’s fondness for the Bay Area eventually will lead him back to where his NFL career began 15 years ago. It won’t be Sunday when the 49ers have to host him and Washington at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., because of Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 guidelines banning contact sports.
Once Smith’s career ends — it’s still playing out in Hollywood-like fashion amid this season’s comeback from a life-threatening leg injury — he intends to return to where the first eight years of his pro career began and where he learned so many lessons, good and bad.
“My wife is from the Bay Area. All three of my kids were born at Stanford. It’s still the plan for that to be home for us,” Smith said Thursday on a media conference call. “The Bay Area is a place really special to us. We’ve spent a lot of time there in the offseason and it is amazing to be out and about and have that kind of response.”
Smith is a 49ers fan favorite, but it was a hard road to take, which he did with dignity and perseverance from 2005-12. From fans chanting for his benching to annual turnover among his coordinators, Smith hung in with the franchise until it regained playoff footing in his final two years.
Just when Smith found success in 2011 and ’12 under coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman ( his seventh in as many years), the 49ers kept him on the bench in favor of Colin Kaepernick for their 2012 team’s Super Bowl run. Smith was dealt to Kansas City, made the playoffs there four of five seasons, then got traded in 2018 to Washington, where that fall he sustained a compound fracture to his right leg. A life-threatening infection ensued, as did 17 surgeries, and, then, with his wife’s blessing, he came back this year as a thirdstringer and is now on a three-game win streak.
“It does seem like a lifetime ago,” Smith said of his 49ers days. “Football years, I guess, it ages you. I learned so much that it helped me not just in football but my life. Since then, I’ve talked about the early years and dealing with expectations, anxiety and weight. I learned a lot from that.
“The last couple years (in 2011-12), when we got it going and turned around, the confidence that started there, I took it with me to the next part of my career and the trade. If not for those couple years of digging ourselves out of it, it led me to that next kind of phase.”