SANTA CLARA – Coach Kyle Shanahan is required to make his first decisions on game days 90 minutes before kickoff.
And, for the first time in awhile, he will actually have to give it some thought on Sunday.
Only 46 players from every NFL team’s 53-man roster are allowed to suit up for games. Shanahan has not had much to consider in recent weeks because injuries have determined most of the team’s inactives.
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But as the 49ers prepared this week to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, the only player who did not take part in practices was safety Adrian Colbert, who has been ruled out after undergoing surgery last week to repair a fractured thumb. There could be some level of debate on the identities of the six other inactive players.
“It’s a good problem to have,” Shanahan said for "49ers Game Plan," which is scheduled to air Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Bay Area (Ch. 3) . “We haven’t had that for a little bit.
“I’ve realized it’s a pretty tough decision each week because you want all these guys to help you, and this guy might be a better player on offense or defense but he is a backup and he’s not as good on special teams.”
The 49ers returned after the bye week in their best health since early in the season. Defensive linemen Solomon Thomas (knee), Tank Carradine (ankle) and Aaron Lynch (calf) are available after missing time with injuries.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers also claimed defensive linemen Sheldon Day and Cassius Marsh off waivers this week from Jacksonville and New England, respectively. Both players come to the 49ers with knowledge of the scheme.
“The last month or so, I haven’t had to make any of those decisions,” Shanahan said. “I’ve been looking to see if we have enough guys to suit up because there’s always been about seven guys injured, so I’ve kind of known on Mondays what seven guys are going down. So this is the first time in about a month that I still don’t know. I have a tough decision because we have a bunch of guys who are healthy.”
While the 49ers game-planned to face Seattle, there was also simultaneous competition taking place on the practice field to determine which players would earn the right to suit up for Sunday’s game.
“There are plenty of guys who can help us, but we got to find seven guys who have to sit,” Shanahan said. “And I know that D-line room, there are going to be some good players who won’t play.”
Typically, the 49ers have eight defensive linemen active on game days. The 49ers’ 53-man roster currently consists of 11 healthy defensive linemen.