49ers pregame report at Eagles: Norman, Kinlaw and Sermon making season debuts
PHILADELPHIA — Cornerback Josh Norman is expected to make his 49ers debut today and do so in the starting lineup against the host Eagles.
Norman, a 10th-year veteran, did not suit up in last Sunday’s season-opening win at Detroit, where Jason Verrett sustained a season-ending knee injury and opened a hole for Norman (No. 26).
Look for Norman to start alongside rookie Deommodore Lenoir, who played 90 snaps and started at left cornerback against the Lions. Veteran Dre Kirkpatrick (No. 13) is also active for his 49ers debut.
Emmanuel Moseley’s season debut remains on hold as he was deactivated. He has not practiced the past two weeks after sustaining a knee injury.
Rookie Ambry Thomas, a third-round pick, is inactive after struggling as a late-game substitute at cornerback and as a kick returner in Sunday’s season opener.
RUNNING BACK DEPTH
Rookie Trey Sermon will suit up for his 49ers debut, as will fellow running back Trenton Cannon, who was claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens. Sermon wears No. 28, Cannon No. 49.
Elijah Mitchell is expected to serve as the main running back after his 104-yard effort in the season opener upon replacing Raheem Mostert, who sustained a season-ending knee injury. JaMycal Hasty also is active as a reserve.
#49ers Starting D via warmups
LDE Armstead
LDT Kinlaw
RDT Jones
RDE Bosa
WLB Al-Shaair
MLB Warner
SLB Harris
LCB Lenoir
SS Tartt
FS Ward
RCB Norman
NB Williams— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 19, 2021
OTHER 49ERS LINEUP NEWS
Defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw (knee) and Arik Armstead (adductor) are active after being listed as questionable.
It will be Kinlaw’s sophomore season debut. he warmed up alongside his fellow linemen with a support sleeve over his right leg.
The only defensive lineman not suiting up is veteran Zach Kerr, a healthy scratch after struggling in the season opener.
Guard Aaron Banks, a second-round draft pick, won’t be making his NFL debut and is inactive.
EAGLES INACTIVES
Out for the Eagles are starting safety Rodney McLeod, cornerback Mac McCain, defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, offensive lineman Brett Toth and quarterback Gardner Minshew, who was acquired in a trade last month that prompted the Eagles to cut former 49ers fill-in starter Nick Mullens. Joe Flacco will serve as backup to starting quarterback Jalen Hurts.
T-SHIRT TIME
White T-shirts were placed at every seat as Lincoln Financial Field welcomed fans back to their first regular-season game since the 2019 season. The temperature should increase from the current 75-degree conditions, but not more than a few degrees.
Note: Lincoln Financial Field offers a natural grass surface. The 49ers played last week on artificial turf in Detroit and the only remaining such games are at Seattle and Los Angeles.
GORE’S PURSUIT OF ‘RING’
Frank Gore, the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher, could be on the verge of a professional boxing debut, and he’s rebuffed overtures from multiple teams about resuming his football career, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“I’ve been training for both — football and boxing,” Gore told NFL.com. “I’ve always loved boxing, so that’s what I’ve been doing. And we’re trying to make a fight happen. If we do that, you’ll see me in the ring.”
Gore, 38, ran for 11,703 yards in his 49ers’ career (2005-14) before playing with the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and, in 2020, the New York Jets.
Gore used boxing as a training method during his 49ers career.
“I just fell in love with how hard it is,” Gore said. “I felt like, ‘Man, I couldn’t fight.’ And I always like a challenge. So I kept doing it and doing it and I saw myself getting better and better.”
RICHARD SHERMAN OVERTURES?
Cornerback Richard Sherman remains a free agent, and it seems unlikely that the 49ers would pursue a reunion after signing veterans Josh Norman and Dre Kirkpatrick the past two weeks, in the wake of injuries to starters Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley.
But the 49ers were listed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks as a potential suitor, according to an NFL.com report. Sherman has worked on his physical health (dropping 15 pounds) and mental wellbeing (therapy sessions), and, NFL.com noted, he is eligible to play immediately despite a summer arrest for an incident in which he allegedly drunkenly crashed his car and tried to break into his in-laws’ home near Seattle.
REUNION TIME
Quarterback Nate Sudfeld and tight end Jordan Matthews, who are on the 49ers’ practice squad, reunited pregame with several of their former Eagles’ teammates, including tight end Zach Ertz (Monte Vista High-Danville, Stanford).
WEEKEND MOVE
The 49ers’ only transaction Saturday was to put linebacker Dre Greenlaw on injured reserve, and he’s expected to miss four to six weeks following groin surgery.
The 49ers did not elevate anyone from their 16-player squad.
After spending a fifth consecutive night at The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, the 49ers flew Saturday to Philadelphia and team buses did not arrive at their downtown hotel until 4 p.m. Saturday.
Several 49ers players and coaches raved about their layover in White Sulphur Springs, having also stayed their last season between road wins at the New York Jets and Giants. The Greenbrier’s fields and performance facility made for what coach Kyle Shanahan called a “perfect” base.