A 49ers position group in dire need of help might benefit from the return this week of a season-opening starter.
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who has missed the past 2 1/2 games while in the NFL's concussion protocol, will be back on the team's Santa Clara practice field Wednesday wearing a blue non-contact jersey, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
That is a good sign for the 49ers, as it puts Moseley on pace to be able to return to action.
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The 49ers (2-3) have a pivotal Week 6 game against the Los Angeles Rams (4-1) on Sunday night at Levi's Stadium.
Moseley's return could bring some stability to the 49ers' cornerback position, which has not seen the same two starters for any game this season.
Richard Sherman and Moseley were the team's Week 1 starters. But due to a rash of injuries, Jason Verrett, Ahkello Witherspoon, Dontae Johnson and Brian Allen also have started games.
Sherman remains out of action after experiencing setbacks last week in his rehabilitation of a calf injury that forced him onto injured reserve after Week 1.
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Mosley has not practiced or played since sustaining a concussion on the first play of the second quarter of the 49ers' Sept. 27 game against the New York Giants. Moseley sustained the injury when he collided with 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt while tackling Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
Any player diagnosed with a concussion must clear the NFL's five-step return-to-participation protocol. As long as a player remains symptom-free, he is allowed to pass through one phase to the next. The final phase requires an independent neurological consultant providing approval to full contact football activity.
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Verrett is expected to remain as a starter upon Moseley's return to the lineup. Verrett has played well while making the past three starts.
Witherspoon missed two games with a tight hamstring. He was cleared to play in the team's Week 5 game against the Miami Dolphins. Witherspoon told the coaching staff he was available to play in an emergency role. After Allen struggled in the first four series of the game, Witherspoon volunteered to play. He entered the game in the middle of the second quarter and played the rest of the way.
Moseley entered the NFL in 2018 as an undrafted rookie from Tennessee. He started nine games in the regular season last year, and took over as the full-time starter in the postseason when Witherspoon struggled mightily late in the season and into the playoffs.