49ers' Purdy, Ward expected to play; Williams, Bosa ruled out
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Barring unforeseen circumstances between now and Sunday night's game, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will return against the Buffalo Bills.
Purdy is listed as questionable because of soreness in his right, throwing shoulder but made enough progress this week to play unless there is a setback, according to coach Kyle Shanahan.
"Lots of things can happen between now and then," Shanahan said Friday. "But right now he's playing. He's doing good. Had a good day."
Purdy did not play in a 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers last week because of the shoulder issue. Earlier this week, however, there were small signs of improvement. He did light throwing Monday and was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday. He was a full participant in Friday's session with backup Brandon Allen wearing a scout team jersey.
On Friday, Purdy spoke to Bay Area media for the first time since after the Nov. 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Purdy said there wasn't a particular hit or moment that caused the shoulder discomfort but an accumulation of things throughout that game.
Purdy had an MRI the Monday after the game, which didn't reveal any significant damage, but when he tried to throw at last Thursday's practice, something felt off, which led to another MRI.
That second checkup left Purdy with some questions about whether a more long-term injury might be in play.
"Anytime you go through an injury and stuff like that, you want to know what's going on with your body and how long something could be or if something's serious or not, if you're healthy or not," Purdy said. "All those things definitely ran through my mind. But glad everything was clean within the MRI and knowing that we had a plan to get ready for this week, and I'm ready to go now."
Purdy added that he began to feel like himself fully when he was throwing in Thursday's practice.
"The different things that we did in terms of like a throwing program, I started feeling good," Purdy said. "Thanksgiving, that's when I practiced and felt good about it. And then today I felt really good at practice too."
Though Purdy's return is a welcome sight for the 49ers, it doesn't mean he will have his full supporting cast.
The 49ers ruled out left tackle Trent Williams (left ankle), defensive end Nick Bosa (left hip and oblique), cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (knee), guard Aaron Banks (concussion) and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (concussion). The 49ers opened linebacker Dre Greenlaw's practice window this week in his return from a torn left Achilles, but he will not be activated against the Bills.
This will be the second straight week the Niners are without Bosa and Williams.
"We understand kind of what's wrong with them, it's just kind of how it heals," Shanahan said. "And the guys, Trent especially, hasn't been healing the way we hoped. Hopefully they've got a better chance next week. But they ended up never getting back into practice this week, so ended up not being that close."
Without Williams and Banks, the Niners will have a different look on the left side of the line again. Jaylon Moore, who filled in for Williams last week, will again man the left tackle spot with Ben Bartch and Spencer Burford among the options to step in for Banks.
This will be the second straight game Williams has missed because of injury. He was in the Niners locker room Wednesday with a scooter that kept his left foot and ankle elevated.
Lenoir was added to the injury report this week after he banged knees with a Packers player during last week's loss. He didn't participate in any of the three practices this week before being ruled out.
The Niners will get at least one starter back against the Bills:Charvarius Ward, who has not played since the Oct. 27 win against the Dallas Cowboys because he has been grieving the death of his 1-year-old daughter. Ward was a full participant in each practice this week.
"We expect him to play," Shanahan said. "He had a good week of practice. ... Excited to get him back out there."
