San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walked onto the practice field and stood next to general manager John Lynch, watching his team practice for about 30 minutes on Sunday. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Shanahan's presence, a constant over the past decade, was a welcome sight on the first day of training camp, less than two weeks after he suffered a concussion and other injuries in a car crash on July 14 in nearby Palo Alto.
"I know he can't stay away," star linebacker Fred Warner said. "I know he's given up his duties for a little bit, but that guy's obsessed with ball. I'm sure of course he's going to be around."
While Shanahan made a cameo appearance, the Niners began preparations for the 2026 season without their leader. Shanahan has temporarily ceded responsibility to assistant head coach/offensive line coach Chris Foerster as he recovers from the crash. Shanahan suffered a concussion, broken ribs, a broken nose and a broken hand. He won't return until concussion symptoms subside.
Shanahan had a cast on his left hand, sunglasses to cover a black eye, and a new mustache that Warner complimented as a "disguise." He interacted with a few players, including Warner, Kyle Juszczyk, Christian McCaffrey and Dre Greenlaw, before leaving the field.
"I knew it would be tough to keep him away from there," star tackle Trent Williams said. "It's going to be hard for him to get his rest. He's not that type of person. It doesn't surprise me at all to see him out there."
With a veteran-laden team and several long-tenured coaches, Foerster and Williams said the team is on "auto pilot" and not thrown off by Shanahan's absence. The training camp plan was set before the crash.
Foerster said he leans heavily on assistants, especially coordinators Klay Kubiak, Raheem Morris and Brant Boyer. He noted few changes: he had to break the team after practice, hold a news conference, and make small decisions.