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Nick Wagoner
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Although the San Francisco 49ers don’t yet know when quarterback Brock Purdy will return from the toe injury that has cost him three of their first five games, they also haven’t reached a point where they’re ready to rule him out for an extended period.
“It hasn’t been a thought on [placing him on] IR,” Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “He’s progressing.”
Purdy didn’t practice Wednesday, and things seem to be shaping up for Mac Jones to again start on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones led the Niners to wins in each of his previous three starts.
Of course, Jones is dealing with injuries of his own, including a left knee issue and, according to Shanahan, an oblique injury. He was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice.
Jones received medical attention during Thursday’s victory against the Rams, saying after the win he was able to work through the issues and that “it’s my job to be out there.”
The 49ers view Purdy’s return as more of a week-to-week proposition after he aggravated a Week 1 toe injury during the Week 4 loss to Jacksonville. Purdy did not make the trip to Los Angeles for last week’s game.
With Purdy missing practice and Jones limited, Adrian Martinez, who was promoted from the practice squad last week, will get more reps with the starters in practice this week.
Martinez nearly saw action against the Rams after Jones stayed down from a hit late in the game, but Jones was able to return on the next possession. Shanahan said if Martinez has to play, he doesn’t really know what to expect because Martinez has yet to take a snap in a regular-season game.
“Obviously a guy who hasn’t been in your system very long and hasn’t gotten a lot of experience very long, you want to be as careful as you can,” Shanahan said. “But when you’re in a 20-20 game or whatever it was at the time someone is taking over, you’re going to do what you got to do. You get in certain situations, and you’ve got to find out.”
Elsewhere on the injury report, receivers Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ribs, ankle) did not practice Wednesday. Shanahan indicated the team hoped Pearsall would have returned by now, but his status for Sunday is in doubt.
“We’ll see if there’s a turn here on Thursday or Friday, but I’m not counting on it right now,” Shanahan said of Pearsall.
Tight end George Kittle (hamstring), who is eligible to return from injured reserve, is also progressing. He will not participate in practice this week, but Shanahan said Kittle has “a chance” to get back in the mix for a Week 7 home game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Starting left guard Ben Bartch (high ankle sprain) is unlikely to practice next week when he is eligible to return from injured reserve, Shanahan said.
The 49ers opened the practice windows for safety Malik Mustapha (knee) and defensive tackle Kevin Givens (pec) this week, giving both a chance to play against the Bucs. Shanahan said they would be evaluated as the week goes on.
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