Kittle misses practice; Shanahan says he’s ‘made a lot of progress’

Kyle’s update 2:38 PM PT: The Niners also announced they signed WR Willie Snead IV and CB Kary Vincent JR. to the team’s practice squad. Vincent Jr. was drafted in the seventh round in 2021 out of LSU by the Broncos. During the preseason of ‘21, Vincent Jr. played 37 snaps at slot cornerback and 23 snaps out wide at cornerback, per PFF.

Vincent Jr. primarily played out wide at cornerback this past preseason, with 74 of his 77 snaps coming on the perimeter playing cornerback.

Per Aaron Wilson, the Niners also worked out free safety Jovante Moffatt, plus defensive backs Chris Wilcox and Dravon Askew-Henry.

The 49ers returned to practice Wednesday but were without a few key players. Left tackle Trent Williams sat out due to a veteran’s day off. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is limited with an elbow injury. Backup offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill continued to sit out with a hamstring injury.

George Kittle sat out Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury. Shanahan said Kittle “made a lot of progress” and “hopefully, we’ll have better luck this week” regarding Kittle. On KNBR Tuesday, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows made it sound like it would be a surprise if Kittle suits up for the home opener Sunday. Kittle will be day-to-day as he was last week.

If Kittle can’t go, expect another heavy dosage of Tyler Kroft, who played 54% of the snaps in Week 1. Kroft’s 37 snaps dwarfed Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley’s 19 snaps.

When asked about how he felt Monday morning, given his usage as a runner, Trey Lance said he woke up with a sore neck but felt fine other than that. He was questioned to the point where it felt as though the reporters wanted Lance to admit he was injured after carrying the ball. Lance mentioned how the soreness was due to him not being hit all year and in practice.

Edge rusher Jordan Willis is headed to the injured reserve with a knee injury. Willis will need a clean-up procedure. On Monday, he went to the medical staff complaining about irritation in his knee that’s given Willis issues in the past. Kemoko Turay has been promoted to the active roster in his place.