The San Francisco 49ers have likely seen the last Reuben Foster on the field until Week 3 of the regular season. Foster suffered a concussion on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, and was ruled out as the third quarter came to an end.
Earlier this week, John Lynch said he expected Foster to play in the 49ers preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers next Thursday. Foster will miss the first two regular season games with a suspension, and the team wanted to get him work in the final preseason game to keep him sharp.
Foster will go through the concussion protocol, which likely does not have enough time to clear him by Thursday. He has to show no concussion symptoms at rest, and then no symptoms after a workout. Once he clears that, he has to pass a contact test, at which point he can play. Odds are not in his favor to clear it by this Thursday, but we’ll find out when the team hits the practice field in the next couple days.
If Foster does not play on Thursday, then he will not return to action until practice leading up to Week 3.