49ers S Talanoa Hufanga expected to return to practice next few weeks

Jul 29, 2024, 7:20 AM | Updated: 2:16 pm

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Talanoa Hufanga #29 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts during an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

The 49ers are a well-oiled machine with an arsenal of weapons on both sides on both football; Adding Talanoa Hufanga back into the mix should only make this team even better.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan revealed over the weekend that the former All-Pro safety is on track to return to the practice field in the next week or two. Hufanga has been recovering from a torn ACL suffered Week 11 last season. He was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp.

While he appears on track to return during training camp, Shanahan made no guarantees, stating he would undergo testing while the team is in Southern California for joint practices with the New Orleans Saints.

#49ers Kyle Shanahan expects Talanoa Hufanga to return “in next week or two” which is a great sign pic.twitter.com/B2BR5whvnD

— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) July 27, 2024

“I think he’s going to get checked up when we go down to L.A. and scrimmage. I think down there is where we kind of will were expecting around that time,” Shanahan said Saturday.

Talanoa Hufanga, 25, is a former All-Pro player for the 49ers, blossoming in his second year in the league. The Oregon native recorded 97 combined tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, two sacks and one pick-six in 2022. “Huf” was on his way to another solid year in 2023, before blowing out his right knee against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Despite the mid-season injury, the player has remained steadfast on returning in time for Week 1 of the 2024 regular season.

“The goal is to be in training camp, not at the very beginning, but to ramp me up correctly, just so it’s not ‘throw you out there to the wolves and good luck’,” Talanoa Hufanga said last June. “But trying to be smart with it. We’ve had plenty of conversations with the training staff, and putting me in the best possible situation to succeed for myself, and then try to help the team as well.”

To stay ready for his return, Huf has been seen taking in 49ers’ practices from afar, watching all of Thursday’s 11-on-11 drills. He is also routinely in position meetings with his coaches, looking to reclaim his spot amongst the starters upon his return.

Returning to practice and playing are two separate entities though, with both player and coaching staff looking to ease him back into the lineup.

“I feel great about our safeties right now,” Shanahan added. “It’ll be real exciting to get Huf back, I think in a week or two. But I think him not being in there, [George Odum] has really taken advantage of his reps. I think he’s playing as good as he is played at the safety level. Ji’Ayir [Brown] just getting that experience last year, it’s helped him out so much. We’ve got a number of young guys in here which are competing hard. And we do have some older vets here with a lot of knowledge who have played some football, guys like Erik Harris and stuff like that. So we’ve got a good group. I don’t rule out anything as it goes. You never know how [it’ll] play out. But I feel good about our group, what we got right now.”