Tag: 49ers injury update

49ers 1st Week 12 practice report littered with injured stars

The 49ers practice report to open Week 12 is rough:

The San Francisco 49ers can’t seem to escape the injury bug in the 2024 season.

Their first practice participation report of Week 12 featured nine players either out or limited due to injury. Of those nine, five are starters who were either All-Pros or Pro Bowlers just last season.

Most teams by this point of the season have multiple players banged up and dealing with injuries, but for the 49ers it seems as though all of their most important players have dealt with injuries of varying degrees of severity at some point during the year.

With another huge game coming up and their playoff hopes potentially on the line, the 49ers need to hope their injury luck turns around quickly in the lead up to Sunday’s showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

Here’s Wednesday’s participation report:

Did not participate

LB Tatum Bethune (knee)
DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, rest)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)

Bethune sprained his MCL in Week 11 and figures to miss multiple weeks. Bosa played through his hip injury two weeks ago and now appears to have caused additional damage that puts his chances to play against the Packers in jeopardy. Givens was seen getting work in on a side field late last week, which gives some optimism of an eventual return. A non-participation for him isn’t a great sign for his chances to play this week. McCaffrey will likely be out or limited of every practice as part of the team’s management of his Achilles injury, while Williams is nursing an ankle issue he played through last week.

Limited participation

WR Jacob Cowing (concussion)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
TE George Kittle (hamstring)
QB Brock Purdy (right shoulder)
CB Charvarius Ward (not injury related – personal matter)

Cowing sustained a concussion on a punt return last week. He’ll need to clear concussion protocol to suit up in Green Bay. Feliciano may be an answer for the 49ers on the offensive line, but he’s yet to be activated off IR. Kittle told reporters he’s confident he’ll play in Week 12, but they may still limit him during the week as a precaution. Purdy sustained a shoulder injury in Week 11 that will require some management during the week by San Francisco. That he was limited is a good sign. Ward was also back on the practice field after time away from the team to work through a personal tragedy.

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49ers vs. Seahawks injury report: Latest updates, news for Week 11

All the latest updates and news on 49ers’ injury report ahead of a Week 11 game vs. Seahawks.

The San Francisco 49ers need a win in Week 11 over the Seattle Seahawks. Their injury situation may make it a significant uphill climb to a victory.

With the Arizona Cardinals on a Bye, the 49ers could finish Week 11 in a tie for first place in the NFC. They’ll be in second because of head-to-head tiebreakers, but they’ll also be just a half game out of the No. 7 seed in the NFC. San Francisco needs to start stacking some wins against NFC and NFC West opponents to give themselves a little breathing room in their hunt for a postseason berth.

Seattle, on the other hand, is trying to climb out of the NFC West basement after their Bye. A loss puts them further behind the curve to compete in the NFC West. A win puts them in position to fight for the division crown.

There’s a ton at stake in Sunday’s game, and the 49ers may be missing some key players. Here’s what their Week 11 injury report looks like:

49ers injury report

Out
CB Charvarius Ward (personal)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (back)

Doubtful
CB Darrell Luter Jr. (pelvis)

Questionable
TE George Kittle (hamstring)
DE Nick Bosa (hip)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)
DL Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
LG Aaron Banks (thigh)

CB Charvarius Ward injury update

Ward remains out to deal with a personal matter. Head coach Kyle Shanahan intimated Ward could be nearing a return, but the team won’t put a date on when he comes back due to the nature of his absence.

DT Kevin Givens injury update

Givens was seen working on a side field Friday according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. That’s a good sign for the 49ers’ DT who has become an integral part of their defensive line rotation.

P Mitch Wishnowsky injury update

A back injury cropped up for Wishnowsky during training camp and flared up in Week 10. He may be out significant time to get his back right. The 49ers signed P Pat O’Donnell to their practice squad as a potential replacement if Wishnowsky is out long-term. Shanahan told reporters the team plans on placing Wishnowsky on IR.

CB Darrell Luter Jr. injury update

Luter showed up on Friday’s participation report with a pelvis injury. It’s unclear when he sustained the injury, but he didn’t participate Friday.

TE George Kittle injury update

A hamstring injury cropped up for Kittle after Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shanahan indicated early in the week he was optimistic Kittle would be available Sunday. He missed Wednesday’s practice, but returned for Thursday and Friday’s sessions.

DE Nick Bosa injury update

Bosa played through a hip injury in Week 10, and told reporters after Wednesday’s practice he would rest during the week to try and get ready for Sunday. He wound up returning Friday for a limited practice. Shanahan seemed optimistic about Bosa’s chances, but he’ll be a game time decision.

LT Trent Williams injury update

An ankle injury accompanied Williams’s usual veteran rest day Wednesday. He was out of Thursday’s practice as well, putting a significant question mark over his status for Sunday.

DL Yetur Gross-Matos injury update

The 49ers haven’t activated Gross-Matos off IR after opening his practice window before Week 10. Here’s in line to turn this week and provide a significant boost to the 49ers’ defensive line.

C Jon Feliciano injury update

Feliciano is in the same boat as Gross-Matos as someone with their practice window opened. It sounds like the 49ers may be awaiting a chance to open a roster spot before bringing him back.

LG Aaron Banks injury update

This is a new one. Banks didn’t appear on either Wednesday or Thursday practice reports, and then landed as questionable with a thigh issue after a limited practice Friday. His status may determine whether Feliciano is activated.

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How much will 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey play in Week 11 vs. Seahawks?

Christian McCaffrey’s workload was a question in Week 10. It’s not in Week 11.

Don’t expect the San Francisco 49ers to take their foot off the gas in their usage of running back Christian McCaffrey.

McCaffrey returned in Week 10 after missing the first nine weeks to work through Achilles tendinitis. It stood to reason that his usage might start slow and then ramp up.

Instead, he played 88 percent of the snaps, accounted for 13 of their 18 designed carries, and received seven of the 36 available targets – the second-most on the team. While that sounds like a heavy workload, head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday after the team’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers indicated there’s no plan to slow down on McCaffrey’s workload.

“I didn’t think we rode him pretty hard,” Shanahan said. “But no, I think we were good with it and we’ll see how this year goes. That was our first game with him. I think he had 19 touches, which I think is a little less than he had last year. But it was our first game back with him and we didn’t want him to go too many series in a row. We started taking him out, I think we did it in between two series in the first half, and once we only had one drive in the third quarter and we got into that fourth quarter, we weren’t taking him out in the fourth. So, we’ll see how the year goes with it.”

With key games coming up against the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, the 49ers will likely wind up leaning even heavier on McCaffrey before they ease up on his usage.

There’ll be some injury management required, but early on it appears the team will be doing that by limiting his practice reps. Once the games begin, it figures to be business as usual with McCaffrey as the focal point of the 49ers’ offense.

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Will Christian McCaffrey play this week? Injury updates for 49ers RB

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is dealing with an Achilles injury. Here are the latest updates.

Things are looking up for San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.

After having his training camp cut short by a bout with Achilles tendinitis, McCaffrey was ruled out for Week 1 and then placed on IR for the first nine weeks of the season. Now his 21-day practice window is opened and he successfully participated in Monday’s post-Bye bonus practice ahead of a Week 10 showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team didn’t do much in Monday’s session, but noted that McCaffrey got through it pain-free.

All eyes now turn toward the regular week of practice, which opened Wednesday. Here are the latest updates on McCaffrey:

Christian McCaffrey injury update

McCaffrey was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters the club is looking to get three days in a row of practice from the reigning Offensive Player of the Year before putting him back in the lineup for a game.

“But as long as everything goes well, it has in the rehab,” Shanahan said. “So, just as long as he doesn’t get sore and have setbacks each day with practice, usually if you get that in practice, that means it’s going to be worse in the game. So hopefully he can string together three days in a row and not have any of those.”

How long will Christian McCaffrey be out?

His return may be in Week 10, and it’s clear that’s what the team is hoping for. There’s some urgency to get him back as the postseason slips away from them. McCaffrey’s practice window was opened Nov. 4, so he’ll need to be activated by Nov. 25 at the latest, which is the Monday before Week 13.

49ers RB depth chart

If McCaffrey can’t go vs. the Buccaneers, the team will likely lean on RB Jordan Mason, who was also limited Wednesday with a shoulder injury he initially sustained in Week 6. He re-aggravated that injury in Week 8 and opened the door for rookie RB Isaac Guerendo to carve out his best game as a pro. No McCaffrey likely leads to a Mason-led backfield with Guerendo working in as a change-of-pace back. Patrick Taylor is also on the depth chart, but wouldn’t likely be a factor unless Mason and McCaffrey are both out.

49ers injury update: Christian McCaffrey returns to practice

CMC is back in practice.

The San Francisco 49ers on Monday dished out the best potential post-Bye week news.

Ahead of Monday’s bonus practice after their Bye, the 49ers will open running back Christian McCaffrey’s 21-day practice window in preparation for his return from IR per Matt Barrows of the Athletic. He’s been on the injured list since Week 2 with Achilles tendinitis. He missed most of training camp and was limited in practice all week leading up to the season opener. The team listed him as questionable for Week 1, but he ended up missing the game which put his long-term absence in motion.

McCaffrey won’t officially be activated off IR until Saturday at the earliest. The 49ers will have until Monday, Nov. 25 to activate him, or he’ll be placed back on IR for the rest of the season.

By opening his practice window the 49ers will be able to have McCaffrey on the field for Monday’s practice and all three sessions leading up to a Week 10 showdown with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan before the Bye week said McCaffrey would ramp up his rehab during the week off with simulated practices. The practice window opening means those sessions went well. There’s a chance we may see the reigning Offensive Player of the Year back in uniform for Sunday’s game in Tampa Bay if things go well during the week.

Getting McCaffrey back will be a major boost for the 49ers’ offense. Without him they’ve relied more on downfield throws, they’ve lacked in yards-after-catch, and they’ve struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone. His return should help in all of those areas, even if he doesn’t hit the ground running with a full workload.

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When is Christian McCaffrey coming back for 49ers?

Here’s the potential timeline for Christian McCaffrey’s return.

All signs point to running back Christian McCaffrey returning for the San Francisco 49ers shortly after their Week 9 Bye.

But what exactly does McCaffrey’s timeline look like?

Nothing will happen officially until the 49ers’ Bye week ends. They’re technically off through Sunday. They’ll have a bonus practice Monday and head coach Kyle Shanahan said the hope is to have McCaffrey on the field for that practice.

In order to get McCaffrey back for that session, the 49ers will have to open his 21-day practice window Monday. That’s when we can expect that official announcement.

Since the team isn’t holding any Bye week practices, McCaffrey will be ramping up his rehab with simulated workouts during the week off to ensure his Achilles responds well before joining a live practice.

What’ll be interesting is whether McCaffrey can get ready to return with one full week of practice.

He’d get Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to participate before playing in the 49ers’ Week 10 showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If he needs just one week of practice, which is the same amount of time wide receiver Ricky Pearsall needed for his ramp up, the team would officially activate him off IR on Saturday, Nov. 9. If he’s not activated then, it means he’ll need to wait at least another week.

If his 21-day window opens Monday, as expected, it means the 49ers will have until Nov. 25 to either activate him or place him on season-ending IR.

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49ers RB Jordan Mason exits to locker room early vs. Cowboys

Jordan Mason left to the locker room before the first half ended.

San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason left the team’s game against the Dallas Cowboys early Sunday night.

Mason was hurt in the first quarter after a six-yard carry, but jogged off the field and never went to the blue medical tent. He wound up returning to the game, but jogged to the locker room before the half ended according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

He is officially questionable to return with a shoulder injury.

The 49ers offense was supposed to take the field with just under three minutes to go, so it wasn’t a matter of just getting a head start before the half.

It’s unclear what Mason hurt on the earlier carry, but he did suffer a shoulder injury in Week 6 that made him questionable for Week 7 against the Chiefs.

He seemed to get through the Chiefs game without issue, but he’s not headed to the locker room after just six carries Sunday night.

Those six carries hadn’t been particularly effective. He had only 18 yards with a long run of six yards.

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49ers promote undrafted rookie DL to active roster, place Brandon Aiyuk on IR

The San Francisco 49ers made the move to put Brandon Aiyuk on IR after his season-ending knee injury.

The San Francisco 49ers have officially placed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on Injured Reserve after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 against the Kansa City Chiefs.

In a corresponding move, the 49ers promoted undrafted rookie defensive tackle Evan Anderson to the active roster from the practice squad.

Anderson has performed well in limited action this season. He debuted as a pro in Week 4 against the New England Patriots and came up with a strip sack against quarterback Jacoby Brissett. He played 19 total snaps in that game. Anderson was also elevated for the 49ers’ Week 6 matchup with the Seahawks and posted a pair of tackles in 13 total snaps.

Football analytics site Pro Football Focus has given him a sterling 91.8 overall grade through his first couple of games. He’s graded out particularly strong as a pass rusher, where PFF has awarded him a 92.3 overall grade.

If he can help improve their pass rush by pushing the pocket from the interior, it would go a long way toward filling the void left by defensive tackle Javon Hargrave who suffered a season-ending injury back in Week 3.

There’s no surprise Aiyuk was placed on IR. It was a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if’ he was placed there after suffering a torn ACL and MCL. By putting him on IR on Wednesday it cleared a roster spot for Anderson, and cleared a practice squad spot, giving San Francisco two open spots on their practice roster.

They filled those two spots with offensive lineman Dieter Eiselen and wide receiver Malik Turner.

Turner spent time with the 49ers in the last couple of offseasons. They may need his experience, particularly on special teams, while they deal with a rash of injuries at wide receiver.

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49ers injury news underscores need for Christian McCaffrey return

The San Francisco 49ers have never needed Christian McCaffrey back more than they do now.

It isn’t news that running back and reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey is a key cog in the 49ers’ offensive system.

It also isn’t news that his return should provide a substantial boost for a San Francisco offense that’s been struggling to find the end zone without him in 2024.

New developments coming out of the team’s Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs highlight just how important McCaffrey’s return will be for the 49ers.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call with reporters confirmed that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in Sunday’s loss. He also said tight end George Kittle is day-to-day with a foot sprain, and WR Jauan Jennings is still dealing with a hip injury that held him out of Week 7. WR Deebo Samuel is also hospitalized with pneumonia and his timetable for a return is unknown.

Shanahan also mentioned in his conference call that the team hopes to get McCaffrey back right after their Week 9 Bye.

Even if Kittle, Jennings and Samuel are all back by that Bye week, McCaffrey’s presence will be a massive help for the offense without Aiyuk in the lineup. Aiyuk is the only receiver the 49ers have who consistently separates against man coverage, and he’s a threat in all three levels of the passing game.

Having McCaffrey back will help Shanahan better manipulate defenders and open space for some of the other playmakers who made need some scheme assistance to get open and operate in the spaces they’re used to operating in.

There was never a point in the year where the 49ers weren’t going to need McCaffrey back, but their dire injury situation makes his return even more vital if San Francisco wants to make the playoffs and make noise when they get there.

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Kyle Shanahan hints at when Christian McCaffrey will return for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers may get the reigning Offensive Player of the Year back soon.

The news around wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s season-ending knee injury during the San Francisco 49ers’ 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs seems to have the 49ers at a new rock bottom for the 2024 season.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in his conference call with reporters provided a potential bit of optimism when he was asked about running back Christian McCaffrey’s rehab process. McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis since Week 17 of last season.

Shanahan said McCaffrey is still working through rehab, but that the reigning Offensive Player of the Year hasn’t suffered any setbacks, and that his return may be on the horizon.

“Christian’s still progressing through his rehab,” Shanahan said. “He hasn’t had any setbacks, so it’s been all good news so far. I’d be surprised to get him back this week. But hopefully the Bye week will go well and have a much better chance there right after the Bye week.”

Getting McCaffrey back after the Bye might just be enough to save the 49ers’ season.

If they can beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, it would put San Francisco at 4-4 going into its week off. McCaffrey’s return should help the ailing 49ers offense and put them in position to go on some kind of run the way they did in 2022 when they won 10 of 11 games after acquiring the RB in a trade with the Panthers.

This is the first time Shanahan has given anything even close to an expected timeline for return from McCaffrey, which is a good sign that he’s making progress in his recovery.

RB Jordan Mason has filled in admirably for McCaffrey, but the 49ers’ offense has struggled in a couple of key ways while missing McCaffrey’s versatility. Getting him back in the fold for the final nine games would be a major boost to a team that is desperately looking for something to go right on the health front.

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