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A lot has changed for the San Francisco 49ers since Arik Armstead last appeared in a game. The team added Christian McCaffrey at the trade deadline, activated and then lost Jason Verrett for the year, and have won four more games on the way to the top record in the NFC West thanks to a Week 2 tie-breaker.
Have the 49ers missed Armstead? Certainly; while the duo of Kevin Givens and Hassan Ridgeway have played well above expectations as the interior foils to Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam, Armstead is signed to a five-year, $85 million contract for a reason. Fortunately, fans hopefully won’t have to wait too much longer to see Armstead back on the football field, as the University of Oregon product officially returned to practice for the 49ers on the Friday before their Week 12 game against the New Orleans Saints. Listed as “Doubtful” for the contest on the team’s website with a “foot, ankle,” this marks the first time Armstead has practiced since October 1st and only the fifth time he’s taken the practice field overall according to the team’s injury reports.
Though only time will tell when Armstead actually makes his return to the field for the 49ers, it’s clear his return will be a welcomed one, as two months away is an eternity in professional football.
John Lynch Details Why The San Francisco 49ers Didn’t Sign Suh
With Armstead’s status up in the air for the better part of two months, more than a few fans wanted to see the Niners sign Ndamukong Suh to help take his place but unfortunately, that never materialized. After the trade deadline passed, Suh seemingly emerged from hibernation and made his intentions clear that he wanted to join the Philadelphia Eagles and in what felt like about an hour, a deal was struck.
When asked about the decision to not to pursue Suh more vigorously, John Lynch explained his reasoning, as detailed by KNBR.
“We talked to him last year and we talked to him earlier this year. It just never came to fruition,” Lynch said. “I think, ultimately, it sounds like he really sought out the Eagles as a place he wanted to be. You can’t get them all. He’s a good football player who’s on the back end of his career but I’m sure he’ll help them and a good pickup for the Eagles.”
Would it have been nice to have Suh over opposing centers over the past few months? Sure, but it sounds like that wasn’t really an option.
John Lynch Gives An Update On Arik Armstead’s Status
Speaking about Armstead’s status on Wednesday, Lynch informed the media, the fans, and the Saints alike on the Murph & Mac Show of how his rehabilitation has been going, once again transcribed by KNBR.
“It’s been a long time coming back for Arik,” Lynch said. “Don’t know if he’s going to make it this week. If not, I think we’re looking really good right beyond that if things keep going.”
Fortunately, since Lynch’s interview, Armstead has returned to the field for the 49ers and took part at least somewhat in practice, so his return may indeed be “right beyond that.”
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