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Emmanuel Moseley wasted little time jumping right back into the fray.
Moseley, sidelined more than two weeks with a strained hamstring, rejoined his San Francisco 49ers teammates for practice Monday in Santa Clara. He quickly snatched Trey Lance’s deflected pass out of the air for an interception.
The return of Moseley and defensive tackle Arik Armstead — out since July 27, when he sprained his knee in the first practice of training camp — pumped life into a lighter-than-usual session. The 49ers, after their exhibition victory Saturday in Minnesota, have a quick turnaround before completing their preseason schedule Thursday night in Houston.
Moseley is set to start at left cornerback in his fifth NFL season, opposite newly acquired Charvarius Ward, on what should be a strong San Francisco defense.
“I expect a big season,” Moseley said. “When I look at myself, I see a guy who can be All-Pro, Pro Bowl, top 100. I see myself in all of those. I believe in myself.”
Armstead’s return to practice, after nearly a month away, also counted as significant. He’s the senior member of a deep defensive line, teaming with Nick Bosa to give the 49ers a potentially dominant right side.
Armstead acknowledged he needs to “knock the rust off” and build his stamina as he begins a three-week push to the regular-season opener Sept. 11 in Chicago. The schedule helps, with no more exhibition games on tap after Thursday.
“I think it’s been beneficial for me and my situation, to have a good amount of time to practice before Week 1,” Armstead said. “I’m definitely blessed in that aspect. It will be super helpful for me to get all those practices in before we play.”
He didn’t exert himself too much Monday. The 49ers practiced without pads, mindful of the compressed schedule between preseason games. They will practice again Tuesday in Santa Clara and then travel to Houston on Wednesday.
Even so, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans savored Armstead’s return to the fold.
“To have one of the true leaders of our team back at practice, it’s just uplifting to everyone,” Ryans said. “I feel the energy from everyone on the defensive side to have (Moseley) and Arik back. I’m definitely excited for both of those guys and where they’re headed.”
Lance struggles:
Moseley was not alone in securing an interception Monday. Safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Fred Warner also picked off passes from Lance, who struggled with accuracy.
Lance’s first pass sailed high, was tipped and grabbed by Hufanga. The same thing happened on Lance’s second pass, ending with Moseley’s pick.
Later in the practice, Lance threw behind wide receiver Deebo Samuel, leading to Warner’s interception. Lance unofficially completed 9 of 16 passes for the day.
Safety signed: The 49ers signed safety Tashaun Gipson Sr., potentially giving them some experienced depth if starter Jimmie Ward (hamstring) misses time in the regular season.
Gipson has made 132 starts in his 10-year career with the Browns, Jaguars, Texans and Bears. He has 27 career interceptions and made the Pro Bowl in 2014, when he had six picks for Cleveland.
The 49ers listed Gipson as third team on the depth chart at free safety, behind Ward and George Odum.
Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick
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