After taking some time off following the conclusion of the preseason, the San Francisco 49ers returned to work in their preparations for the New York Jets in their 2024 season opener.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has some question marks with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and offensive tackle Trent Williams seemingly no closer to resolving their contract issues, and injuries hitting his defense at the wrong time.
He must also get his roster down to 53 players by 1:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday afternoon. The 49ers let go of a few players Monday morning, including former leading rusher Matt Brieda, but there were no major surprises.
Monday’s practice did mark the return of some key role players to the practice field. ESPN reporter Nick Wagoner reported that San Francisco’s top pick in 2024, wideout Ricky Pearsall, was in uniform for individual drills, though he wore a blue no-contact jersey throughout.
Pearsall missed most of training camp and sat out every preseason game due to a partially dislocated shoulder he first injured while at Florida, and re-aggravated not too long ago.
"I think his junior year," Shanahan said. “He did it in OTAs for the first time with us, and when you do that, it's tender. And then he redid it here a couple weeks ago, and it makes it tender, so you want to give him time to come back from it."
Fellow flanker Jauan Jennings was also back, as was cornerback Isaac Yiadom for the defense. Yiadom has been dealing with an ankle injury.
Wagoner also reported that All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, defensive end Leonard Floyd, and left guard Aaron Banks didn’t participate in team or individual drills, but did work on a side field.
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