San Francisco 49ers fans will get their first glimpses of cornerback Richard Sherman playing in a Niners uniform this Saturday in Indianapolis against the Colts.
It’s been more than a few months since he joined the squad, but it’s still going to be weird seeing cornerback Richard Sherman on the field playing in a San Francisco 49ers uniform.
But it appears as if that will be the case this Saturday, when the Niners visit the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3 of the 2018 preseason.
Sherman, who is coming off a serious 2017 Achilles tear, was only cleared for full activities just before training camp late July. And it wasn’t too deep into camp when Sherman suffered a minor hamstring injury, which has sidelined him from seeing the field for the 49ers’ first two preseason games.
“Yeah, I’m going to play,” Sherman told reporters Wednesday (h/t Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News). “It’s important for a defensive-continuity standpoint. Just everybody knowing where they’re going to be.”
When asked if Sherman was concerned about his Achilles or hamstring more, the three-time first-team All-Pro indicated neither was bothering him.
You can check out the full clip below:
#49ers Richard Sherman says he’s playing Saturday at #Colts and not concerned about Achilles/hamstring pic.twitter.com/aBkh9oyUQY
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) August 22, 2018
Media members also inquired about the camp one-on-one rep in which 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin easily flew past the 30-year-old Sherman. It prompted some thoughts of Sherman being “washed up” and nowhere near the level he was at with the Seattle Seahawks not long ago.
“I’ve been beat a ton in practice,” Sherman said, via Niners Nation’s Jennifer Lee Chan. “I’ve been beat probably a thousand times in practice, but the amount of times I’ve been beat on a Sunday, with the lights on is very limited, because in practice you work on your craft. You try and figure out what you’re going to do. That’s like you guys putting out an article that’s a rough draft and putting it out for everyone to see. It’s like ‘Hey this is a rough draft. Yes, it has some typos, some mistakes, some notes and stuff that doesn’t look right.”
Sherman is expected to occupy the Niners’ No. 1 cornerback position this upcoming season alongside fellow boundary corner Ahkello Witherspoon.
During Sherman’s absence in San Francisco’s first two exhibition bouts, the Niners elected to start fifth-year defensive back Jimmie Ward on the outside, which didn’t go well. Ward gave up a 30-yard touchdown reception to Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup in Week 1 of the preseason. Last week against the Houston Texans, wide receiver Bruce Ellington beat Ward for a 37-yard gain, which eventually led to Houston’s first score of that game.
Needless to say, the 49ers are hoping Sherman stays fully healthy over the course of the regular season.
Either way, it’s going to be more than a bit interesting to see how the veteran cornerback, who was one Niners fans’ most-hated rival, performing on the field as one of the team’s biggest names this season.
The 49ers and Colts kick off on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 4:30 p.m. ET from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.