Arik Armstead has been out of the 49ers lineup since Week 14.
The problem has been a foot and knee injury (mostly his foot). Given how much time he has missed, it would seem significant, but it has primarily been about pain tolerance. And it appears that the plantar fasciitis that plagued him last season is the source of his problems this season. Fortunately, the 49ers received good news about Armstead this week, as he is expected to return to practice on Thursday.
“He’s improving. He looked good today, and that was the test, so we’re going to get him in practice Thursday, and hopefully everything goes well, and we’ll get him in a little bit later.
“Friday,” Shanahan said.
“We’ve tried to give him as much rest as we could. He would have gone last week if we had needed him to. That’s why we were so excited to be able to get it so he wouldn’t have to go last week. So, with this extra week, he’s better now than he was a week ago at this time. So hopefully that extra week will give him enough time to ease back into it and make him even better in a week.”
The 49ers benefit greatly from having Armstead back, as well as the fact that he could have toughed it out last week if necessary. The lack of a strong run defense and some slippage in pass defense played a significant role.
His absence causes rushing efficiency. Armstead’s progress will put him on track to return when the 49ers play in the divisional playoff round.
