The 49ers are contending with a significant amount of health-related attrition, and Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle observes 21 players on the club’s 90-man roster are currently sidelined with injuries. The latest addition to the list could result in an early blow to the Niners’ offensive line.
Starting right guard Dominick Puni, who played the opening series of San Francisco’s preseason matchup against the Raiders on Saturday, exited the game when fellow lineman Matt Hennessy was blocked into his right knee. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told the media afterwards that Puni had suffered a PCL injury.
Shanahan went on to say, via David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, the 25-year-old blocker would miss a few weeks, which obviously puts his availability for the start of the regular season in jeopardy (the Niners begin the campaign on September 7). Shanahan at least left open the possibility that Puni could suit up for the opener against the division-rival Seahawks.
Puni, a third-round pick in 2024, was one of the team’s few bright spots last season. He played all but one offensive snap and finished the year as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-highest-rated guard among 77 qualified players. His efforts earned him a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America’s all-rookie team, and the 49ers are counting on him to provide stability on the interior of their offensive front, especially since left guard and three-year starter Aaron Banks departed in free agency.
Ben Bartch is slated to take over the LG role, though he has not been a regular starter since 2021. One of Bartch’s competitors for his job, Nick Zakelj, is also one of Puni’s backups, but the 2022 sixth-rounder has just two career starts to his name and was unable to make much of an impression at the beginning of training camp, when Bartch was on the PUP list. The other candidate to fill in for Puni is seventh-round rookie Connor Colby, which heightens the urgency to get Puni back in the lineup as soon as possible.
Two of San Francisco’s running backs also left the Raiders game due to injury. Patrick Taylor, who re-signed with the team in March, sustained a dislocated shoulder and is set to miss multiple weeks. Ditto UDFA rookie Corey Kiner, who suffered a high-ankle sprain.
Both Taylor and Kiner are vying for spots at the back of the Niners’ RB depth chart, which is headed by Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, and fifth-round rookie Jordan James. Kiner, though, was making a strong push for a place on the roster, and both Guerendo and James are dealing with injuries of their own that kept them out of Saturday’s game.