The San Francisco 49ers avoided a nightmare scenario in their preseason finale.
In a game where the ultimate goal was staying healthy, the 49ers lost two of their top three defensive ends in the first quarter to injury. Yetur Gross-Matos went down first, then Leonard Floyd went down not long afterward.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game both players suffered knee sprains. An additional update Sunday from Shanahan said Floyd is day-to-day, and Gross-Matos is week-to-week with their knee injuries.
It sounds like Floyd should be ready to suit up on Sept. 9 for the season opener. However, Gross-Matos’ status is less certain. Shanahan said the team doesn’t anticipate needing to put him on IR, and that there’s some hope he’ll be able to practice in the week leading up to the opener.
Ultimately the 49ers dodged a catastrophe with neither player suffering significant injuries. Even a scenario where one of the pair missed multiple weeks would have put San Francisco in a precarious spot. Their depth at the defensive end spot isn’t good, and they’re relying heavily on Floyd and Gross-Matos this season. Removing one of them from the rotation forces the 49ers to scrape the bottom of an already shallow barrel at the pass rushing spot.
The 49ers open their regular season on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets to close out Week 1.