It’s been a brutal stretch of injuries in recent weeks for the San Francisco 49ers, particularly at wide receiver. Star WR Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL last season, and he’s been on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list since training camp started.
That was expected, however. What hasn’t been is all the other 49ers receivers who have gone down with injuries this preseason. Russell Gage Jr. is just the latest, going down with an MCL sprain in practice Thursday morning. Before him it Jacob Cowing, and before Cowing, it was Jordan Watkins and Jauan Jennings.
“With Aiyuk being on PUP, we started with 13 guys. And now, weâre down to â at one point yesterday, I think we had seven out there,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said Thursday in an interview with local San Francisco station KNBR. “Now, weâve got to keep the guys who we have healthy. Weâve got to find a way to get from here to there. But thatâs what our calling is. Thatâs what our job is. So, weâll do it, and weâll figure out a way, and weâre going to be all right.”
Timeline on WR Brandon Aiyuk’s Return
Stacy Revere/GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 24: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 24, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Lynch spoke at length about their plan with Aiyuk’s rehab and when he could eventually return to the field. “I think we feel comfortable saying heâs not going to be there Week 1, and then, it will probably be some time after that,” he said. “Iâm not going to put exact timelines, but hopefully, sometime in this season, heâs playing the type of football we know, when heâs out there, that he is expected to, and expects himself to play at. And itâll be a big boost to our team.”
It’s been widely speculated that Week 6 is the game to watch for Aiyuk’s return. If he starts the season on the PUP list, as is expected, he wouldn’t be eligible to play until Week 5. However, that week is a short one for San Francisco, as they play the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football. With a mini-buy after the Rams game, Week 6 is probably the earliest Aiyuk might be activated, but as Lynch said, that aren’t putting a specific timeline on it yet.
John Lynch on the 49ers’ Other Injured WRs
Lynch spoke on Gage’s injury, as well as the recent suspension to WR Demarcus Robinson. On Gage, he said: “Thatâs one of those ones, we were out at practice, we were doing 1-on-1s, and at first, I thought he had his ankle. It looked like it buckled. I think, given what I saw on the field — Russellâs been having a really good camp — and I was standing with Kyle [Shanahan] right when it happened, and we just said, âOh, no,â because it looked like his leg buckled.”
“So, I think a slight MCL sprain was actually welcome news. He will miss some time. We expect him to be ready for our opener, and I think that was somewhat — itâs not ideal — but itâs better than the alternative with what we saw. But heâs working through that.”
Lynch spoke briefly on Robinson, who was suspended by the NFL for three games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. “Weâll be respectful of that, and when the league makes their final determination, everybody will know right along with us. I think weâre at the stage of it, and you guys will know when we will know.”
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