SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was unable to practice Wednesday as he his still hampered by a toe injury that has sidelined him for three games already this season.
The Niners began preparations for this week's game at Tampa Bay without Purdy able to practice. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy is making progress and the team has not contemplated putting him on injured reserve.
But San Francisco might need to play another game with Mac Jones as starter with Purdy's status in question. Jones was limited at practice with a knee and oblique injury but should be available to start if necessary.
Jones is 3-0 as a starter this season and is one of only two quarterbacks ever to win his first three starts with a franchise while throwing for at least 900 yards and six touchdowns.
The 49ers are still short-handed at several key spots even after getting a few extra days of practice following a win in overtime last Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams.
Leading receiver Ricky Pearsall missed practice with a knee injury after missing last week's game and seems unlikely to be back this week.
"We’ll see if there’s a turn here on Thursday or Friday, but I’m not counting on it right now,” Shanahan said.
Receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, ribs) also didn't practice after missing last week's game and star tight end George Kittle isn't expected back from injured reserve from a hamstring injury until next week at the earliest.
San Francisco has gotten some help on defense with defensive tackle Kevin Givens and safety Malik Mustapha both having their practice windows open this week. Givens has been out since training camp with a pectoral injury and Mustapha has been sidelined since having surgery on a knee injury after last season.
Both could be activated in time to play Sunday against the Bucs.
The other players out of practice on Wednesday were receiver Jordan Watkins (calf), defensive end Robert Beal (ankle), defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee, hamstring), defensive tackle Alfred Collins (knee), running back Christian McCaffrey (rest) and left tackle Trent Williams (rest).
Defensive tackle C.J. West (thumb), cornerback Upton Stout (ankle) and defensive lineman Kalia Davis (hand) were all limited.
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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) and offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) walk off the field after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”
Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.
The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.
The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Galileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.
As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”
However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.
Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)
