By admin 
The San Francisco 49ers trimmed their roster to 53 players on Sunday but significant questions remain ahead of Week 1.
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Namely, will All Pro tight end George Kittle and defensive end Nick Bosa be available to play when the 49ers take on the L.A. Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10?
Mum’s the word on their specific statuses as of Monday, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. Both players are expected to resume practicing this week before the team gets on the plane for the roughly 16-hour flight Wednesday night.
“We’re going to get them out there these three days and hope it goes well,” Shanahan told reporters Monday.
The 49ers will practice all three days before departing, while Kittle and Bosa will be on differing schedules. Neither are expected to practice fully in all three days. Kittle is returning from tearing his Achilles in January while Bosa was shut down early in training camp after experiencing tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee after tearing his right ACL in September.
Bosa appears to be trending the right direction, with the knee tendinitis in the rearview. His recent absences from practice have been more about limiting his workload than dealing with pain, Shanahan said.
“Now it’s more just being smart. You guys see him on the field working out, he’s feeling great. We’re just deciding how much we want to do in team settings, going against people and stuff before we get out (to Australia),” Shanahan said.
Kittle is a different case. He returned to doing individual drills during practice before the final preseason game but didn’t participate in any competitive or team drills. It’s likely the team will use the three practices before the flight to determine if Kittle will play — and if it’s worth getting on the plane.
That’s still to be determined, though there have been multiple reports indicating Kittle has a real chance at playing. Kittle said if he wasn’t going to play, he would likely stay in Santa Clara to avoid being on a plane for more than 30 hours, which is bad for inflammation and soreness.
“I think if we did think he was going to play, though, and it was looking that way, I think it would be much nicer to make that decision before we left instead go having to go through all that,” Shanahan said.
“It’s also a long time that we’re out there, so to be away from the team for a week – not just for camaraderie or anything, but just the training staff and things like that. And being away from meetings is also a big deal too. But hopefully these three days that we have, these three practices will go the right way and make it an easy decision to get him on the plane.”
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49ers get some clarity on injury situations
Shanahan and Lynch said that none of the injured players who remain on the 53-man roster are expected to miss multiple weeks — and the only players facing prolonged absences are on injured lists.
The list of injured players on the roster whose status is undetermined for Week 1 is lengthy. It includes right guard Dominick Puni (concussion), safety Malik Mustapha (hamstring), cornerback Renardo Green (hamstring), defensive end Romello Height (ankle), Gracen Halton (ankle), cornerback Ephesians Prysock (shoulder), tight end Brayden Willis (concussion), linebacker Luke Gifford (hamstring) and backup tackle Vederian Lowe (ankle).
The 49ers on Monday placed linebacker Nick Martin (hamstring) and defensive back Nate Hobbs (groin) on injured reserve with return designations, joining receiver Christian Kirk and offensive lineman Austen Pleasants, with return designations. Those four players will be eligible to return Week 5.
Meanwhile, defensive lineman Mykel Williams (ACL recovery) and running back Isaac Guerendo (pectoral) will open the season on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list. They’re also eligible to return Week 5.
Who’s starting at left guard?
The one starting position that has been a question mark for the last six weeks remains up in the air.
Shanahan said he doesn’t know who will start at left guard and will take the practices to make a determination. A new variable was added to the mix on Sunday when the 49ers traded a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Houston Texans for Jarrett Patterson.
At minimum, Patterson will provide depth along the interior, including at center. But Shanahan didn’t rule out that he could start at left guard, where rookie Carver Willis has gotten the most work the past few weeks.
Shanahan said the plan is “to get him in the group right away. We love that he has some flex at center and guard. It’s still fluid in all our positions in there, so I want to see where he fits in the group in these three days.”
The Australia trip is forcing the 49ers to make decisions quickly because they have less time between final cuts and their first game with a 16-hour flight added in. They’re losing roughly three days they would have to prepare and make decisions under normal circumstances.
“The time that we’re usually used to making some of these decisions have all been sped up,” Shanahan said. “So I want to get (Patterson) in the group, see where he fits, see him in person, see how he can help us at guard, how he can help at center, and how he stacks upon to other guys.”
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