SANTA CLARA — Wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings were on the field but not participating in drills with teammates Friday, leaving open the possibility the 49ers could be without two of their top receivers for their Week 4 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Neither player practiced Wednesday or Thursday. Samuel has knee and rib issues, with Jennings nursing a shin injury.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had this to say Thursday about the status of both players during his weekly appearance on KNBR:

“Deebo and Jauan weren’t able to practice,” Shanahan said. “They’ll be questionable for the game. We’ll see how they go tomorrow. Hopefully they can get out tomorrow and give them a chance for Sunday.”

Starting wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who missed the 49ers’ Week 3 win over the New York Giants, has been limited in practice with a shoulder injury and is expected to play.

Shanahan will meet with the media and players will be given official designations following practice.

The absence of Samuel, Jennings or both could mean an elevated role for Ronnie Bell, a rookie seventh-round pick from Michigan who caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy in the 49ers’ win over the Giants.

During his weekly appearance on KNBR, general manager John Lynch talked Friday about how Bell has played his way onto the field both as a receiver and on special teams.

“He takes on every challenge and now he’s one of our best blockers out there on the perimeter,” Lynch said. “He’s earned every opportunity he’s gotten. Kyle makes rookies earn those. He’s not just going to give it to them, especially with the talent in our group. He keeps passing every test. He plays with a passion that we like our guys to have.”

Wide receivers on the practice squad who could be elevated if necessary include Chris Conley, Willie Snead IV, Tay Martin and Isaiah Winstead.

Also not spotted during the brief media window at practice was running back Elijah Mitchell, who has not been on the injury report this week.

Brock Purdy is picked by Amik Robertson pic.twitter.com/AJDFDrL0gj

— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) January 1, 2023

The Purdy streak

It’s been 190 passes since Brock Purdy threw his last interception. It came with 2:33 left in the third quarter on New Year’s Day in Las Vegas, with Purdy underthrowing George Kittle on a reverse rollout to his left and Amik Robertson coming away with the pick.

Since that play, Purdy finished out 8-of-16 for 161 yards against the Raiders, was 15-of-20 for 178 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona, was 41-of-63 for 569 yards and three touchdowns in the postseason and so far this season is 61-of-91 for 736 yards and four touchdowns — all with no interceptions.

Since Robertson’s interception, Purdy is 125-for-190 with 1,644 yards, 10 touchdowns and a passer rating of 110.5.

There have been some close calls, the most recent being a pass that the Giants’ Adoree’ Jackson had in his sights only to have Kittle break it up as if he was a defensive back.

“As a team really it’s all about the ball,” Purdy said. “Obviously the turnover battle is huge for us. We’ve got a good defense, we’ve got a great offense and it’s how we can eliminate the errors and be smart with the ball, even if that means punting and letting our defense do their thing.”

Purdy said he tries not to get caught up in statistical minutiae such as yards per attempt or how far the ball is traveling in the air before reaching its target.

“All that other stuff, we just try and game plan and get first downs and that stuff just sort of comes along with it,” Purdy said.

Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters the lack of interceptions has been a collaborative effort between Shanahan and Purdy.

“You can tell Kyle Shanahan knows how to coach the quarterback,” Gannon said. “He doesn’t put the ball at harm’s risk. He knows the stresses of the coverages and that’s where he delivers the ball. Then with Brock, he plays the game extremely fast so he’s not late trying to throw it through windows. He throws it through the correct window. The ball comes out on time.”

Putting in the work

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Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks understood the level of talent when he arrived as the replacement for DeMeco Ryans. What he’s learned since then is the ability is matched by commitment.

“I’ve never been around an elite group like this before. And it’s not just so much the talent, it’s about how we work,” Wilks said. “These guys grind every day, walkthrough, they’re locked in, they’re focused. Everything is about details, that’s the difference at this level. I’ve been doing it for a long time. There’s a lot of talent around the league, but nobody is a stickler to the details as we are here.”

Check back for updates on this story.