The San Francisco 49ers hope defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos will be healthy enough to play in the season opener after both players left the final exhibition game with sprained knees. (NFL)
- Coach Shanahan provides updates on injured players, including Floyd, Gross-Matos, and Hufanga, as season opener approaches.
- Defensive line depth becomes a concern for 49ers with multiple injuries, including season-ending setback for Drake Jackson.
- Rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall set to return to practice, while backup quarterback decision remains undetermined.
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SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers hope defensive ends Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos will be healthy enough to play in the season opener after both players left the final exhibition game with sprained knees.
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Injury Updates and Recovery Timelines
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday that Floyd is day to day after getting hurt Friday night against the Las Vegas Raiders and that Gross-Matos is week to week.
Shanahan said there are no plans for Gross-Matos to go on injured reserve and he could return to practice in about a week. San Francisco opens the season on Sept. 9 against the New York Jets.
“We’ll see how this week goes and hopefully he’ll have a chance to get back to practice next week for Week 1,” Shanahan said. “We haven’t even mentioned anything about IR.”
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Defensive Line Depth Concerns
San Francisco already lost defensive end Drake Jackson for the season as he had a setback in his return from a knee injury that cut short his 2023 campaign. The Niners have little depth behind Nick Bosa, Floyd and Gross-Matos with second-year player Robert Beal Jr. and Alex Barrett the likeliest options.
The only other injury news from Friday night’s game were ankle injuries to safety George Odom and linebacker Dee Winters. Odom rolled his ankle pregame and was hobbling on the opening kick so didn’t play the rest of the game. Shanahan said he should be fine to practice Monday.
Shanahan said the team will have a better idea of the extent of Winters’ injury when MRI results come back Monday.
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Updates on Key Players
Shanahan said the team is still uncertain on the plan for safety Talanoa Hufanga, who is recovering from a torn ACL last November. Hufanga, an All-Pro in 2022, will either return to practice on Wednesday or start the season on the physically unable to perform list, which would require him to miss at least the first four games.
The 49ers will get first-round rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall back at practice on Monday for the first time since he re-injured his shoulder on Aug. 6. Pearsall had previously missed practice time with a hamstring injury, giving an opportunity for fourth-rounder Jacob Cowing had seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown the past two weeks in preseason games.
Shanahan also said he hasn’t made a decision on whether Brandon Allen or Joshua Dobbs will open the season as the backup quarterback to Brock Purdy.
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