Dante Pettis is back because the 49ers have three healthy receivers
Kyle Shanahan held eight players out of Wednesday's practice, Mike Evans and KhaDarel Hodge among them. Keion White's hamstring thinned the defensive line again, and Mykel Williams practised for the first time in a year.
San Francisco opened Denver week without two of its five receivers. Kyle Shanahan said before Wednesday's practice that Mike Evans (ribs) and KhaDarel Hodge (knee) would not work, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone and Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. Hodge's knee is new: it is not in Monday's injury updates from Maiocco or from Nick Wagoner of ESPN. That leaves Deebo Samuel Sr., Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins as the healthy receivers on the 53, four days before kickoff.
The full list. Shanahan named eight before practice, per Bonilla: Evans, Hodge, Trent Williams (neck stinger), Dre Greenlaw (quad), Nick Bosa (calf), James Thompson Jr. (ankle), Keion White (hamstring) and Christian McCaffrey, on a rest day.
Evans, in Shanahan's words: "Not today, and hopefully, later in the week." On Monday he had called the rib injury something that "shouldn't be long term." Evans left Sunday's win over Arizona in the second quarter after 18 offensive snaps. What kind of rib injury it is has not been settled in public. Asked on Monday whether it was a fracture, Shanahan said, "Just rib." Ian Rapoport reported a strain. George Kittle, on KNBR, said "Fractured ribs suck."
Dante Pettis is back. The club signed him to its practice squad on Wednesday, on its own release and its transaction log under 09/30. San Francisco drafted him in the second round in 2018 and he played here through 2020. The release gives him 66 games, 19 starts and 92 catches for 1,231 yards and 13 touchdowns, with the Giants, Bears, Saints and, briefly this summer, Buffalo, which waived him on August 29. Shanahan, per Bonilla, on the timing: "Mike going down, losing some receivers the last few weeks, we needed to add a guy to the practice squad." On whether their split in 2020 was personal: "There was no relationship issue." Pettis joins Brandin Cooks, Wesley Grimes and Will Pauling as practice-squad receivers.
Mykel Williams practised. The club opened his return window from the physically unable to perform list, and Maiocco reports he was limited in his first practice since tearing his ACL last season. Shanahan beforehand: "Today will be his first day back in a year, so he probably won't go full speed today." He cannot play Sunday. Week 5 at Seattle on October 11 is the earliest.
Romello Height was also limited, per Maiocco, one week after surgery on his broken hand.
The defensive line is thinner than Monday's count. Ten defensive linemen are on the 53 on the club's roster page. Bosa and Thompson were already ruled out for Denver. White, who had a sack against Arizona, now sits with a hamstring. Shanahan on White: "Hope not, but it's a hamstring, and it's keeping him out today." That leaves six linemen with no listing and Height, limited. Matthew Judon and the two Week 3 elevations, Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez, are on the practice squad.
Williams and Greenlaw are Thursday questions. Shanahan said on Monday that Williams "should be good to go by Thursday," per Wagoner. Vederian Lowe played left tackle after Williams left Sunday. On Greenlaw, Shanahan on Wednesday: "I think the main thing is him just fully healing up to get out there."
Roster. The club's page lists 53 active, 16 on injured reserve, 2 on the physically unable to perform list and 18 on the practice squad, with Pettis added and nobody removed. The squad limit is 17 with Isaac Alarcón's international exemption. Bonilla reported on September 29 that defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. had been released, which would bring it back to 17; the club still lists him.
