Linebacker Aldon Smith’s return to the 49ers lineup last Sunday against the Panthers didn’t see Smith play a tremendous amount.
Smith played a dozen snaps in the loss and said afterward that he knew he wouldn’t be serving in a prominent role in his first game back. The same should not be true of his second day back in the lineup.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio didn’t say that Smith would start against the Saints, but he did say that Drew Brees should expect to see a lot of Smith coming off the edge in this Sunday’s game.
“He’s ready this week to play a lot, and he will play a lot,” Smith said, via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group.
Fangio also said that chances are good that safety Eric Reid is able to play for the Niners despite suffering a concussion against the Panthers. Defensive tackle Ray McDonald, who is fighting a sprained ankle, was deemed “iffy” for Sunday by the coordinator.