Tag: brandon Aiyuk injury

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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Could son of 49ers legend help team replace Brandon Aiyuk?

The San Francisco 49ers can’t close any doors when maneuvering their roster to make up for Brandon Aiyuk’s season-ending knee injury.

Replacing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk quickly shot up the San Francisco 49ers’ list of priorities when the 2023 All-Pro went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 7.

Aiyuk’s injury, which came just over two weeks before the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline, may push San Francisco into action to acquire a WR on the trade market. There are a handful of options that make sense if that’s the route they want to take.

If they don’t take that route, there’s an intriguing name in the building who could make his way to the roster: undrafted rookie WR Terique Owens, who is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Terrell Owens.

While the trade route seems to be the most logical one if the team is looking for a direct replacement for Aiyuk, head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call told reporters the team will explore the trade market without putting all their eggs in that basket.

“Well, it makes you look into everything,” Shanahan said of Aiyuk’s injury. “We try to look into everything regardless. Obviously with more issues that came up yesterday, you still want to look into everything, but it has to do with what options are out there with stuff that we can pull off that doesn’t totally hurt us, that helps us now and doesn’t hurt us for the future. There’s lots of decisions that go into it. So, we’ll look into everything, but a lot of times that’s just kind of living in hope.”

If a trade doesn’t materialize, the 49ers are likely to simply push Jauan Jennings into a more prominent role while backfilling the WR3 snaps with rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing, and veterans Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell.

They may want to keep another WR on the roster for depth purposes even if they don’t need to replace Aiyuk on a snap-to-snap basis. And that’s where Owens emerges as an internal option. Shanahan said without a trade, they’ll rely on who they have in the building.

“Those answers aren’t always out there,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got to be ready to get people better in your building and deal with what you’ve got in your building. And if you ever find something that makes sense, we will never hesitate on it but it’s not always available like you hope it is.”

Owens is one of two wide receivers on the practice squad, along with veteran and former 49ers fifth-round pick Trent Taylor. Taylor has primarily been a punt returner over the last few seasons, which may open the door for Owens to step in and contribute on more special teams units.

There’s no guarantee either Taylor or Owens are promoted from the practice squad. San Francisco, when healthy, is still working with six receivers who have roles in the offense and on special teams. The likelihood a practice squad receiver is anything more than a special teams contributor is something south of miniscule.

With injuries to Conley, Jennings and Samuel entering Week 8, however, there’s a chance we could see Owens elevated from the practice squad when the 49ers host the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

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Brandon Aiyuk injury update: Report confirms torn ACL, MCL for 49ers WR

It’s the worst news for Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk got the worst news on his injured right knee. According to a report from Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, tests confirmed the 49ers’ leading receiver from 2023 has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport also reported it is more than just an ACL injury. Aiyuk also has a torn MCL with potential for more damage showing up on Aiyuk’s MRI.

Aiyuk sustained the injury late in the second quarter of the 49ers’ 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The 2023 All-Pro limped to the blue medical tent before riding a cart into the locker room. He was ruled out by the 49ers at halftime.

This is a tough blow for Aiyuk who was off to a slow start in 2024. He had 25 catches for 374 yards before his injury, and he never got a chance to get on track after missing training camp while negotiating a long-term contract extension.

His timeline for return is still unclear, but his 2024 campaign is over.

The 49ers’ receiving corps will now rely heavily on Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings to pick up the slack. Sunday also gave us a glimpse into how rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing could also fit into the equation. They both saw a ton of action with Aiyuk, Samuel and Jennings all out of Sunday’s game by halftime.

Navigating life without Aiyuk will be an adjustment since defenses devote so many resources to slowing him down. How San Francisco’s offense adapts will ultimately define how the rest of their season goes.

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