SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It’s not like he was throwing at game speed, but the sight of Brock Purdy throwing the ball during warmups Friday was encouraging before the 49ers left on a trip to Buffalo for a Sunday night game against the Bills.

It was even more encouraging following practice, when Purdy was listed as questionable with a shoulder injury but declared the starter by coach Kyle Shanahan to face the Bills.

“I feel good, so I’m excited to be able to play,” Purdy said before the 49ers left for Buffalo.

As for Purdy’s supporting cast, it will be without some key players. The 49ers will be missing the left side of their starting offensive line as tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and guard Aaron Banks (concussion) are out and will not make the trip.

It will be the second straight missed game for Williams, who will be replaced by Jaylon Moore. While coach Kyle Shanahan declined to name a starting left guard, both Purdy and tight end George Kittle said Ben Bartch would step into the lineup.

Bartch started Weeks 1 through 3 last season for Jacksonville in 2023 and was signed by the 49ers on Nov. 21 of last season. He was inactive for the first 10 games this season and played seven snaps against Green Bay after Banks departed. He played 28 snaps after joining the 49ers last season, 16 of them in the final game of the season.

Defensively, two of the 49ers’ best players this season are out and will not travel as defensive end Nick Bosa (obliques, hips) and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (knee) won’t play. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (concussion) also will be sidelined.

While Lenoir won’t play, cornerback Charvarius Ward will be active after missing three games on bereavement after the death of his 23-month-old daughter.

It was the first time Purdy had thrown in the presence of reporters since he was listed with a sore shoulder coming out of a Nov. 17 loss to Seattle.

Purdy was also listed as limited Thursday during a closed practice, a day in which he said he made considerable progress and was throwing without pain. He said he still isn’t sure when the injury originally occurred, although he was clearly affected in the later part of the game.

In open media periods since the injury, Purdy has done footwork and handoffs but not thrown the ball other than a few lobs to assistant coaches and the support staff.

“It was great to have him back out there,” Shanahan said. “He was able to go fully today, so it was a good day.”

Asked if a full practice would indicate Purdy was the starter, Shanahan said, “It would suggest that ... lots of things can happen between now and then, but right now he’s playing.”

Standing on the sideline and not in uniform against Green Bay was a new experience for Purdy, who played in 45 games over four seasons at Iowa State without missing one and had made 37 straight starts for the 49ers including playoffs. The last time Purdy couldn’t suit up was as a junior at Perry High in Gilbert, Ariz., when he missed three games with mononucleosis, a stretch that affected his recruiting.

“Mentally, it was like, ‘All right, this is different,'” Purdy said. “Because I’ve always been able to find a way come game time to be ready for my guys, both in college and the NFL. I’m glad we’ve moved on. We’re healthy and ready for this one.”

As for playing without Williams and Banks protecting his blind side, Purdy said, “Obviously you’d love to have your guys that are starting play, but that’s the NFL and I have all the trust in the world in the guys that we have behind our starters. Jaylon Moore I think has done a great job coming in and Ben Bartch, we know he’s had history of playing as a starter in the NFL. That’s part of the game, guys get banged up, guys get thrown in.”

Purdy said he doesn’t feel compromised in any way throwing the ball, isn’t concerned about a snowy forecast and wouldn’t be playing if he couldn’t make any throw in the playbook.

“If I’m out there playing, which is the plan, then I’ll be able to make every throw that we have drawn up,” Purdy said. “I wouldn’t go out there playing not 100 percent.”

Ward’s return

After working with the scout team last week, Ward had a good week of practice and is expected to play although Shanahan stopped short of saying he’d start ahead of either Isaac Yiadom or Green.

“We expect him to play,” Shanahan said. “He had a good week of practice. So it’s looking like he’s trending towards playing and excited to get him back out there with us.”

Lenoir, Bosa, Williams, updates

The 49ers have said little about Lenoir’s injury other than he had “banged knees” with an opponent. Shanahan elaborated somewhat on Friday. The good news is there is no structural damage. Lenoir was signed to a five-year, $92 million contract extension on Nov. 17.

“It’s kind of like a quad contusion, but it’s right on the bone, so it’s in that same area,” Shanahan said. “It kind of acts like one. Tried to go all week and just couldn’t get it to go.”

Likewise, Bosa and Williams did not show the requisite improvement to be available. Williams’ situation sounded as if it might be more problematic than that of Bosa.

“We understand kind of what’s wrong with them, it’s just kind of how it heals,” Shanahan said. “And the guys, Trent especially, hasn’t been healing the way we hoped. Hopefully they’ve got a better chance next week. But they ended up never getting back into practice this week so ended up not being that close.”

Greenlaw getting closer

There was no expectation that Dre Greenlaw would be put back on the 53-man roster this week after opening his 21-day window after recovering from an Achilles tear last Feb. 11 in the Super Bowl. Kittle, however, said Greenlaw’s energy was noticeable this week and Shanahan didn’t rule out a Dec. 8 return against the Chicago Bears. The 49ers host the L.A. Rams four days later on a Thursday night.

“I think that makes it a little harder,” Shanahan said. “We’ve just got to see how he feels. With those games being so close, that’s a problem. I’m not going to decide right now. We’ll see how next week goes but I’d say it would be an outside chance.”

Notable

— Wide receiver Ronnie Bell, who caught two passes for 22 yards in nine games, was waived. Bell, a seventh-round draft pick out of Michigan, had a key drop in the 49ers’ loss against the Los Angeles Rams. He played 113 snaps on special teams.

— Sebastian Gutierrez was signed to his second practice squad stint this season. Gutierrez was also on the practice squads of Cleveland and Indianapolis this season and in previous years has been on the practice squads of New England, the Raiders and Kansas City. Cameron Erving, who was signed to the practice squad two days ago, was released.

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