Emmanuel Moseley’s return to practice Wednesday could be a significant domino to fall in the 49ers’ climb out of the deep injury hole the fell in to start the year.
San Francisco’s secondary has been hit particularly hard by injuries. They’ve started five different combinations at cornerback, and haven’t had any of the original corners on their 53-man roster healthy for all five games. Moseley has missed the last two contests after suffering a concussion in Week 3 against the New York Giants.
He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice while working in a non-contact jersey per reporters on site in Santa Clara. Moseley will need to clear concussion protocol before playing Sunday night against the Rams, but his Wednesday practice is a good sign that he’s on track to return.
Having Moseley, who began the year is the starter opposite Richard Sherman, will give San Francisco two starting-caliber corners on the outside against a very good Los Angeles offense. Jason Verrett will play on the other side after a very strong showing the last three weeks. If Moseley steps in and continues to play well alongside Verrett, the 49ers defense will get a significant upgrade from the version that allowed 30 first-half points to the Dolphins a week ago.
