49ers’ George Kittle expects to play; Deebo Samuel practices

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Just when it seemed the San Francisco 49ers were getting some good health-related news, that optimism was tempered by further injuries.

Thursday’s practice began with tight end George Kittle (hamstring), receiver Deebo Samuel (calf), left tackle Trent Williams (illness) and quarterback Brock Purdy (back soreness) all on the field together.

It was the second straight practice for Kittle, who didn’t play last week against the Los Angeles Rams. He said he’s headed toward returning Sunday against the New England Patriots.

It also was a positive step for Samuel, who practiced for the first time since suffering his injury in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Before Thursday’s practice was through, however, the Niners watched as linebacker Curtis Robinson was carted to the locker room after suffering a knee injury during a special teams period. Later, defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who is in line to replace injured Javon Hargrave in the starting lineup, suffered a foot injury.

“It sucks anytime you see a teammate go down or anything like that,” Purdy said. “I’m just trying to practice, get ready for this game and everything and then you look over and you see a cart on the field, so it’s like, ‘Dang it. Who is that? What happened?’ And then we’ve got to keep going and finish practice.”

Kittle and Samuel appeared on the official injury report as limited participants Thursday, though Kittle was bullish about his status in his post-practice media session, simply saying “yeah” when asked if he was optimistic about playing against the Patriots.

“I’m very excited to play football,” Kittle said. “I think there have been some circumstances that have happened this year, so we’re just trying to cover our bases and be as honest as possible. But no, I am feeling fantastic.”

Kittle was a surprise addition to the injury report last Thursday when he did not practice after reporting soreness following the previous day’s session. On Thursday, he clarified the timeline of when and how he was hurt.

Kittle said he dealt with lower body cramps for the “entire” third quarter in Week 2, got an IV, came out of the game and then got hit by cramps again in the fourth quarter. He said he was “really sore” all day Monday and Tuesday, got treatment on the injury and “wasn’t feeling right” when he practiced last Wednesday.

An MRI revealed Kittle had a grade 1 hamstring strain, and he did not practice Friday and was listed as doubtful. He was ruled out against the Rams on Saturday.

“We thought I was going to be 100% fine and it just ended up not,” Kittle said. “So that’s how that turned out.”

It remains to be seen just how far along Samuel is in his recovery from the calf injury that also kept him out against the Rams. After he suffered the injury, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Samuel would miss “a couple weeks,” which made his return to practice — even on a limited basis — a welcome sight for the 49ers on Thursday.

Williams, meanwhile, did not practice Wednesday because of an illness but was full go Thursday. Purdy has been a full participant in both practices this week.

“It was probably cumulative just in terms of the whole game, all the stuff that sort of went on. It was a physical game,” Purdy said. “… The last couple days have been good, getting some rest and treatment. So, I feel good now.”

As for Robinson and Elliott, both were listed as limited participants but that doesn’t mean much in terms of the severity of their injuries. Players can be listed as limited for participating in individual drills but not team, which is what happened in Robinson’s case.

Elliott appeared poised to take on a bigger role — possibly stepping into the starting role — after Hargrave’s season-ending injury last week. That proposition is now murkier, though the extent of his injury isn’t yet known.

“Whoever goes down we have always got their back and we’ll be there for them and continue to build them up and try to get them back as fast as possible,” Purdy said.