After announcing wide receiver Danny Gray would start the season on the injured reserve, another young member of the San Francisco 49ers will hit the IR to start the 2023 campaign.
On Wednesday, John Lynch announced rookie Robert Beal Jr. would be added to the injured reserve to start the season. Beal Jr. re-injured his hamstring, according to the 49ers general manager.
He’s coming off a hamstring that he re-injured. We thought the best thing for Robert — he’s a guy we really like and are excited to work for, but we got to get that thing right. He qualified for the short-term. He had to make out 53. He’s a guy who showed a lot and we’re thrilled about the prospect of working with him going forward. But, we have to get him back so he’s ready. We will go through that process.
Via @JL_Chapman on Twitter:
49ers Robert Beal Jr and Danny Gray will both being going on IR and will have to miss the first four games minimum. pic.twitter.com/5gHbtKkG7X
— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) August 30, 2023
The 49ers landed Beal Jr. out of Georgia in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Beal won two national titles with the Bulldogs at Georgia. Playing alongside several future pros on Geogia’s vaunted defensive line, Beal Jr. recorded 10.5 sacks during his time in Athens.
The 24-year-old linebacker will now miss the first four games of his career on the injured reserve due to a lingering hamstring injury.
With Gray and Beal Jr. hitting the injured reserve, the 49ers are set to bring back veteran defenders Kerry Hyder and Austin Bryant.
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