On Thursday, Arik Armstead declared that he expects to play on Sunday when his San Francisco 49ers host the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium.
"I'll be out there," Armstead told reporters.
The defensive lineman isn't alone in believing he will be out there this weekend.
"We're just excited to get him back," head coach Kyle Shanahan said this morning on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "He's had a great week, so everything's trending, definitely, for him to play. So as long as we don't have any setbacks today, he should be out there.
"He's been a guy that we've been missing a lot. It's a huge presence in there, especially on the inside. Pushing that pocket is a big deal, and it affects the quarterback huge, and it also helps the guys on the edge a lot more. So really excited to get him back, and been really pumped with how he's been this week."
Shanahan also provided an update on Deebo Samuel. The wide receiver was limited on Wednesday with a quad injury. He didn't practice at all on Thursday. The 49ers hold their final practice of the week later today, and the coach is hopeful Samuel will be available on Sunday.
"Any time you don't practice, it's a worry," Shanahan shared. "We're not just giving him [time] off to give him [time] off. He's trying to get healthy. He's working as hard as he can. His thigh has been bothering him. It hasn't loosened up the way we want it to, but hopefully, it will be better today, and he'll be good to go for Sunday."
Will Samuel be a game-time decision?
"So far, it is," Shanahan answered. "He's got to do something today for it to be a chance to be a game-time decision."
Running back Christian McCaffrey was sidelined late on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. He was seen on the sideline testing his knee to see if he could re-enter the game.
"He sat out totally [on] Wednesday, and he barely did anything yesterday, so we've been managing it big-time," Shanahan said. "But just trying to be smart with it. He's going to go full today, but we really only have one full-speed period. Christian will be good to go, but he's had to be smart with it all week."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
Listen: Click here to listen on Omny.fm
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