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After canceling joint practices this week because of a litany of injuries, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan plans to play several of his starters, including quarterback Brock Purdy, in an exhibition game against the New Orleans Saints (Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX).
Shanahan normally gives his starters plenty of work in joint practices and sometimes holds them out of the game that week, but said he will play many of his top players on Sunday to give them a chance to work against a different team.
“It’s always nice when you get to go up against a different look, different guys and stuff,” Purdy said Friday. “So we definitely missed that this week. But at the same time, we’re doing it for the right reasons. So I’m excited for Sunday to be able to get some new looks and being able to run our offense against guys that haven’t seen it every day. So that’s also going to be nice, but get in, be efficient, be clean with it and compete.”
The Niners won’t play all of their starters. Some are dealing with injuries, others have contract disputes and some could be held out no matter what in order to limit any injury risk.
San Francisco lost another starter this week when left guard Aaron Banks broke his pinky. Banks had surgery Friday, but the Niners are hoping to get him back for the season opener Sept. 9 against the New York Jets.
Shanahan had no firm update on the status of stars Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, who have not practiced all summer while they seek new contracts. Williams has been holding out of camp and incurring fines of $50,000 a day, while Aiyuk showed up and is attending meetings, but has not practiced.
Aiyuk did some sprints on the side early in practice on Friday and then watched team drills for a third straight day, but is still seeking a resolution that will either result in a lucrative extension from the 49ers or a possible trade to Pittsburgh.
Shanahan said the team hasn’t threatened Aiyuk with fines if he doesn’t practice, saying the star…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/49ers-plan-to-play-brock-purdy-other-starters-sunday-vs-saints
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Publish date : 2024-08-17 18:33:39
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