SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ starting defense could be missing cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (knee) and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee) in Sunday’s opener at Detroit.
Trey Lance? Well, he’s not slated to start at quarterback, but he should be available to spell Jimmy Garoppolo if coach Kyle Shanahan summons him, two weeks after Lance had a bone chipped inside his right index finger.
The official injury report will come out after today’s noon practice.
Then there’s the annual saga of Jalen Hurd, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver who’s yet to play in an official game and is likely headed again to injured reserve for at least the first three games.
“We took a course of action where we’re trying to quiet the thing down and allow it to ramp up again,” general manager John Lynch said Friday morning on KNBR 680-AM.
“We do have a lot of belief. And I know people get frustrated,” Lynch added. “We’ve seen (benefits) having the long view. Jason Verrett had a litany of injuries but we stuck with him and it’s bared real good fruit. We’re seeing the dividends with Jason playing at a Pro Bowl and some might say an All-Pro level at the end of last year.”
Verrett indeed excelled last year in his first full season since his 2013 Pro Bowl year with the Chargers. Hurd doesn’t have that background, however, and last month’s preseason finale against the Raiders was his first game action since the 2019 exhibitions as a rookie, third-round pick.
“We’ve got some examples of sticking with people working out for us,” Lynch said. “We’ll continue to do that with Jalen. My hope is he plays a lot of good football for this team. There’s no certainty, there never is.”
Hurd’s rookie year was nixed by a stress fracture in his back, then he tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee as last year’s training camp began.
“He’s such an intriguing player because he can do so many different things,” Lynch said. “He’s a physically imposing type player, so he fits what we do well. ACL, some go very smooth. Others, you have these little deals where your going great, and then you run into a rough patch where the thing gets irritated.
“Unfortunately, it just happened for him at the wrong time, which was just after he played in that Raiders game.”
LANCE PROGRESS
Lance, after resting his injured finger a week, has thrown well in the past two days in practice. Lynch called that an encouraging sign and said Lance should be OK to play so long as he doesn’t aggravate the finger in Friday’s light practice.
WARD’S MONEY MOVE
Safety Jimmie Ward was scheduled to make $8.4 million in salary this season, but he’s reworked his contract so that $7.8 million is converted into a bonus and the 49ers gained $5.85 million in cap space, ESPN’s Field Yates first reported.
“It’s a good thing for Jimmie, he gets some money up front, we push some money into future years,” Lynch said. “That’s all that was, a conversion. Jimmie worked with us and we’re grateful for that.”
DEFENSIVE INJURIES
Moseley’s knee issue occurred in last Friday’s practice when he got fallen on and it kept him out of this week’s practice. “He’s going to have a great year. He’s just got to stay out there, after a couple nicks in a row. He’s a great story, an undrafted free agent who’s played some really good football and got rewarded this offseason,” Lynch said of Moseley, who signed a two-year, $9.3 million deal.
Lynch indicated that veteran Josh Norman could be ready to play despite just signing Monday, and that decision is up to the coaching staff.
Kinlaw’s knee issue traces back to last December against the Dallas Cowboys. It led to offseason surgery, but he also missed multiple practices over the past month, including Wednesday’s before he returned in limited action Thursday.
“We feel confident we’re going to get a lot of really good football out of Javon this year,” Lynch said. “I talk about Nick (Bosa) being a difference maker. Javon has that in him. He’s a huge man who has an incredible amount of power. We’re proud and excited for him. We have to get him right so we can see that talent come to fruition.”
LIONS INJURIES
Left tackle Taylor Decker’s finger injury kept him out of Thursday’s practice and coach Dan Campbell said Decker will miss time, presumably Sunday’s opener.
Other injuries being watched are to defensive linemen Michael Brockers (shoulder) and Levi Onwuzurike (hip), and Nicholas Williams (elbow); and, cornerback CB A.J. Parker (shoulder).
Running back D’Andre Swift (groin) and tight end T.J. Hockenson (shoulder) are expected to be fully cleared.