49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Mitchell (knee) is slated to practice this week, which would open his 21-day window to be activated from injured reserve, Josh Dubow of The Associated Press reports.
Mitchell is dealing with his second MCL sprain of the season and has been sidelined since Week 12. He suffered the injury Nov. 27 and was given a recovery timeline of 6-8 weeks. So far, five weeks have passed, so the running back is on schedule. It's unclear if he has a chance to be active Sunday against the Cardinals, but he'll at least take a first step toward his return to San Francisco's active roster.