49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday announced a slew of injuries to key starters.
Center Weston Richburg is out for the season with a torn patellar tendon. Dee Ford and Richard Sherman will both miss multiple weeks with hamstring injuries.
Richburg was carted off in the second half of the team’s win in New Orleans after getting his leg caught underneath him on a third down run play. Shanahan wasn’t optimistic in his postgame press conference after Richburg left the locker room on crutches.
The 49ers signed Richburg last offseason and he played through painful knee and quad injuries that both required offseason surgery. He bounced back with a terrific 2019 campaign before his injury Sunday.
Ben Garland will likely replace Richburg as the starting center. He signed with San Francisco in the offseason after two years in Denver and three in Seattle. He has seven starts across his six seasons.
Ford was dealing with a hamstring injury prior to Sunday’s game in New Orleans. He aggravated it early in the game and did not return. His absence will mean more time on the edge for Arik Armstead and Jeremiah Valoaga.
Sherman was banged up a couple times, but came up with a hamstring issue late in the fourth quarter and didn’t enter the game on the Saints’ final offensive possession. Emmanuel Moseley will likely step into the starting cornerback spot across from Ahkello Witherspoon.
Cornerback K’Waun Williams exited late with a concussion and is in concussion protocol. If he can’t go Sunday against the Falcons, DJ Reed would probably be the starting nickel corner.
Safety Jaquiski Tartt is still day-to-day with a rib injury. He was out for Sunday’s game, and defensive tackle DJ Jones is nursing an ankle sprain.
The 49ers need to get healthy over these next few weeks, and suddenly the first-round playoff bye feels more important than ever. San Francisco can secure a first-round bye if they win their final three games. That extra week off could be the difference between having players like Sherman and Ford for the first playoff game, and not having them.