49ers GM Lynch hopeful Arik Armstead returns for playoffs; Trent Williams to start Sunday

SANTA CLARA — A stealth benefit of earning the No. 1 seed for the 49ers is buying more time for Arik Armstead’s hopeful comeback.

Armstead was producing better than he had in years on the defensive line’s interior, up until foot and knee injuries sidelined him four games ago.

The 49ers (12-4) have another two weeks before their playoff opener, and that provides enough of a ramp-up period to potentially get Armstead on track for a return.

“That’s our hope,” general manager John Lynch said Friday morning on KNBR 680-AM. “The No. 1 seed, when you talk about what it means, it means some extra time for a guy like Arik. He’s been working through some foot and knee injuries, and making a great deal of progress.”

Armstead won’t be playing Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, nor will quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey. But the 49ers can’t stash everyone for the playoffs, so expect to see some stars to make cameos, and that includes 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams.

“We intend on playing Trent early this game and see where that goes. Trent’s all for it,” Lynch added. “Trent’s done tremendous. He’s in really good health. He understands and trusts in Kyle and our coaching staff that we’ll put him and the rest of his teammates in the best position.”

Williams’ presence certainly should be comforting to Sam Darnold as he starts at quarterback in place of Brock Purdy.

Defensively, Armstead’s presence has been missed, especially in the run game where yards are being yielded and missed tackles have been an issue. That’s not to say the defensive line is inept without Armstead. Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave are among the 49ers’ nine Pro Bowl selections.

Securing the No. 1 seed Sunday, however, affords extra recovery time for all players, and perhaps none need it more than Armstead, who’s believed to be dealing with plantar fasciitis in a foot, an injury that also waylaid him for a chunk of last season. He has five sacks and 13 quarterback hits in 12 games.

“It’s been frustrating going through this process with this nagging injury,” Armstead said on his Third-And-Long podcast. “But, I remain blessed and positive, and God willing, when the time comes and my team needs me the most for this playoff run, I’ll be ready to go. That’s when I feel I’m at my best — in the playoffs, when my team needs me the most.”

Armstead said that will be “very soon.” He has seven sacks in nine career playoff games. This being his ninth season, he is the longest-tenured player on the active roster, and he called this team the best he’s played on since arriving as a 2015 first-round pick. “We have a special group and this is a special time and we have to take advantage of it,” added Armstead, the 49ers’ four-time nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

“Arik is a big part of what we do. He’s working hard,” Lynch added. “We expect him to have him for the playoffs. We hope to. I don’t know about ‘expect to,’ because you always have to hit these (recovery) markers and we’ll turn up the intensity of his training as we get closer. He’s doing real well.”

Javon Kinlaw has started five games while Kevin Givens also is part of the rotation, which welcomed in Sebastian Joseph-Day for 11 snaps in his 49ers debut during Sunday’s 27-10 win at Washington.

“He did some good things. He is a guy that has been a two-gapper his whole career,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said of Joseph-Day. “So, (defensive line coach Kris) Kocurek is still working on him, No. 1, with his stance and his get off, but his effort was there. We’ve just got to continue to improve on his technique.”

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Darnold’s fill-in start comes 10 months after he joined the 49ers at the onset of free agency, for a one-year, $4.5 million deal.

“Sam could have done a lot of things this past offseason. He could have made more money elsewhere,” Lynch said. “But Sam wanted to be a part of what we had, he wanted to be a part of kind of go into the lab with Kyle Shanahan and his offensive coaches, and knew that may mean backing Brock Purdy up.

“At the time Brock was injured, but we felt really good, and we made it clear that if Brock’s healthy, he’s our guy. But you always need a back up. Look at what we went through last year. Sam very much wanted to be a part of it. … He’s really commited to making the most out of this year. He’s earned everyone’s respect. My goodness, is he a talented thrower. Yesterday out at practice, he can do some things. You talk about ‘arm talent,’ it’s a buzzword thrown around, but if you want to see what arm talent is, just watch Sam Darnold. He can do some special things with the ball. He’s really taken to our offense. We’re just thrilled with Sam and everyone is excited he’s got the opportunity this week to see what he can get done against the Rams.”

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Although wide receiver Jauan Jennings returned to practice the past two days, he’s done so while still under observation in the NFL’s concussion protocol and has yet to fully clear it. Jennings has missed the past two games.