49ers Activate Kendrick Bourne from Reserve/COVID-19 List (Again)
Reinforcements are on the way.
The 49ers activated wide receiver Kendrick Bourne from the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Friday. Bourne missed their last game against the Green Bay Packers. Since then, he tested negative twice, then positive again, then negative again. Now he's cleared to play.
Bourne participated in Friday's walkthrough and his legs are fresh. But he may not be ready to handle a full workload.
"Any time you're not here for 10 days and miss two weeks of practice, it is an issue," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "But we're down some receivers, so he's going to be up regardless. But we've got to be smart with him."
Which means Richie James Jr. should continue to get lots of playing time. Which is good news for the 49ers.
More good news: Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams are cleared to play after missing the Packers game because they had been in close contact with Bourne.
"Those are two guys in particular who were playing at their personal highest levels of the year," Shanahan said. "They're real frustrated and eager to get out there on the football field, which was nice. Anytime they sweat or breathe too hard, people mess with them. They should have extremely fresh legs and be nice and ready to go. It was just a few days that they missed. I know they're happy to be back, and we're happy to have them out there."
Unfortunately for the 49ers, Deebo Samuel will not play Sunday against the Saints, and running back Raheem Mostert still is on Injured Reserve. Those two have a chance to play Week 12 following the 49ers bye week.
