Seahawks and 49ers get some injury clarity with New Year's Eve practice report

This Saturday Night Football tilt between the Seahawks and 49ers is one of the biggest games of the year, so it makes perfect sense to be paying close attention to the injury reports. It is Week Eighteen, after all, so both teams are going to be some level of beat up. And who each team has available to them will go a long way in determining who wins this game.

We got the latest news from both squads just now, so let’s have a look. For starters, the Seahawks have brought back rest-related listings after several practice reports without any. Demarcus Lawrence, Leonard Williams, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were all listed as limited, but without any injury. Nothing to be worried about here.

We also can rest easy that A.J. Barner (elbow & hip), Derick Hall (hand), Josh Jobe (wrist), Abraham Lucas (neck), and Ty Okada (oblique & knee) will be available this weekend, as all five of them got through their second straight day of full practice. Standard wear and tear that comes from playing a game as violent as football, but we’ll be seeing them.

Less clear is the game status of Rashid Shaheed (concussion), who did practice in full today, but I would not assume that guarantees his availability. It’s definitely a good development, and indicates he’s ahead of schedule compared to a typical concussion, but I’ve seen players get a full practice booked but still be declared out for a game in this circumstance before.

The odds of him going on Saturday are definitely way up, probably even higher than fifty percent now, but I wouldn’t be surprised by anything. At worst, however, it should instill confidence that Shaheed will be available for the first playoff game, whenever it may be.

Coby Bryant (knee) and Charles Cross (hamstring) sat out practice yet again, indicating they are still at least a week away. Coby was ‘estimated’ to be limited yesterday, so that suggests he’s behind where the team was thinking. Of course, part of the consideration with Bryant is that his back, Ty Okada, is playing quite well and there’s less rush to bring him back.

Will the Seahawks have this guy this weekend? — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) runs against the Los Angeles Rams. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The problem with Cross’s lack of availability, however, is the third and final DNP of the day for Seattle. Josh Jones (ankle, knee) remained out of practice, which was surprising after Macdonald implied that Jones was fine and would be available for this weekend. Obviously, that’s still very much on the table, but we’re definitely cutting it closer than anyone would like.

If Jones can’t play, Amari Kight gets his first ever NFL start at left tackle, a scary proposition for the Seahawks. Even against San Francisco’s near-league-worst pass rush, the thought of a third string practice squader starting at left tackle is highly intimidating. It’s the one truly worrying part of an otherwise fairly optimistic and predictable practice report.

For the 49ers, they look to be getting CB Renardo Green (neck) back, as he posted his second straight full practice of the week. Beyond that, however, things remain something of a mystery, and I’m very interested to see how Shanahan plays things with his beat up team given the huge stakes of this game.

DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), TE George Kittle (ankle), WR Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle), and CB Upton Stout (concussion) all posted their second consecutive limited practices. My read is that Gross-Matos and Pearsall will be good to go on Saturday, but I’m less convinced that Kittle’s going to be in a playable state, and Stout is a likely no-go.

Kyle Juszczyk (hip) and Christian McCaffrey (back) were upgraded to limited. Juszczyk, given his age and the miles on his odometer, should probably be getting limited work in practice regardless of his injury status, so I’m sure he’s going to play. McCaffrey is too important to not play, so long as he can walk, but his effectiveness is a question that only the game can answer.

Two 49ers that look most likely to be out this week are DE Keion White (groin) and LT Trent Williams (hamstring), who both missed another practice today. Williams’s importance needs no elaboration, a future hall-of-famer who has remained elite into his late-thirties, and the 49ers would be foolish to not give him a week off given the nature of a hamstring injury.

White also looms as an important piece that the 49ers will be loath to miss, as their defensive line rotation has been tested with the loss of star Nick Bosa and top rookie Mykel Williams earlier this season, so a front that is already very light gets just a little lighter. In a season where injuries have been the story, it makes sense that the 49ers add just a little more at the end.

Not looking good for this guy. — San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) during the first quarter. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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