Will we see either in Week 1?
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan met with the media after tonight’s preseason game and provided some notable injury updates. According to Shanahan, free agent edge rusher signings Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos sustained knee sprains. The good news is that neither is believed to have ACL injuries, but both players will need MRIs.
Depth outside of Nick Bosa has long been an issue for the 49ers. The thought this offseason was to bring in Gross-Matos and Floyd—two durable players you don’t have to worry about when it comes to injury.
But neither made it out of the preseason without getting nicked up. If you’re looking at it from an optimistic perspective, Floyd and Gross-Matos were standing on the sideline without crutches or any limp. Floyd returned from the locker room mid-game while Gross-Matos was temporarily in the blue medical tent.
If neither player can suit up in Week 1, we’re looking at Alex Barrett and Robert Beal Jr. as the next edge rushers on the depth chart. Needless to say, that would be concerning.
The 49ers’ next moves will be telling. If reports surface about the team working out edge rushers or if they keep more than usual, then it could signal Floyd and Gross-Matos’s injuries are more severe than initially expected.
Stay tuned.