The San Francisco 49ers will release their first practice participation report Thursday, and we can expect cornerbacks Chris Davis and Keith Reaser to make an appearance. According to the beat writers on hand for Thursday’s session, both went to a side field to work with trainers. There has been no word on injuries to either player, so the practice participation report will give us more insight. Chip Kelly meets with the media on Friday, and I imagine he says something fairly innocuous in describing their statuses.
Davis and Reaser are two candidates to man the nickel back role, but if they are limited or unable to play, Jimmie Ward would likely move inside when the team goes from the base 3-4 to their nickel package. That would then result in either Rashard Robinson or Dontae Johnson taking over the outside corner role in the sub packages. Matt Barrows mentioned that Johnson could also handle the nickel work.
This is only one practice, so we should not get entirely ahead of ourselves. But it is something to keep on our radar. The NFL injury reports changed this year, and there is no longer a “Probable” designation, just Questionable, Doubtful, and Out. I imagine teams will frequently use the “Questionable” designation this season. And I could see both Davis and Reaser ending up there if their limited practices hold up.