Image
The San Francisco 49ers are still trying to get their players healthy from last season, but they cannot avoid the injury bug at all. The team has been derailed by injury after injury all summer long, and it has them in a tough spot to enter the year.
Fortunately, none of the elite players who raise the ceiling have serious injuries, but the rest of the roster is falling apart. Which injuries could genuinely hurt them when the regular season comes?
Mykel Williams
If the 49ers plan to hit their goals this season, it will be Williams playing a large role. Unfortunately for the rookie, the same injury that sidelined him during his last year in college has caught up to him in training camp. Reports are that he may be ready for week one. However, his injury-prone nature has to bring fears into the future, and a rookie missing training camp and the preseason can be an issue. San Francisco is banking on him to turn this around.
Dominick Puni
Puni suffered a knee injury in the 49ers’ second preseason game. The injury is expected to sideline him a few weeks, and it may keep him out for week one. The good news is that he may not miss a lot of time. The bad news is that he is the second-best lineman on the team, and the line already has some questions entering the season. A starting guard combination of Ben Bartch and Nick Zakelk is not scaring anyone, so they need Puni back as soon as possible.
Jordan James
Another rookie with an injury that is frustrating because of the timing. James was expected to get a ton of work this preseason, and the team was going to see how much they could use him to ease the load of Christian McCaffrey. He may not miss a lot of time either, but the team is dramatically thin at running back, and they hardly know what he can bring. Hopefully, this is not a lost season.
Upton Stout
The rookie promptly won the starting nickel job and then has not been able to practice with a calf injury. He is expected back by week one, but a rookie who is making his NFL debut after a month of missing time due to an injury sounds like someone that an opposing coordinator will pick on. Is Stout ready, or should they lean on preseason sensation Chase Lucas? Lucas has major questions when it comes to the regular season, too, though.
The wide receivers
The wide receiver room has been insane to watch fall apart. Brandon Aiyuk was expected, but Jauan Jennings’s absence for this long has hurt the unit. It has called on others to step up, and they have fallen down. Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, and Russell Gage are all hurt. Demarcus Robinson is set to be suspended, so the team had to trade for Skyy Moore, a bust to date. This position could look pretty ugly by week one.