The 49ers had good injury luck throughout the preseason, until their finale Friday against the Chargers.
Immediately after the game head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that four players were dealing with injury issues. There were several more added to that list Saturday when Shanahan spoke to reporters on a conference call.
Here are the injury updates for San Francisco with the preseason finale:
WR Chris Conley (shoulder)
Conley was hurt making a diving, 34-yard catch Friday night. He left the game just before halftime and never returned. Shanahan said Conley has an AC sprain in his shoulder and will miss a few weeks. He isn’t liable to make the 53-man roster, but he’s a practice squad candidate who will miss some time.
K Zane Gonzalez (calf)
Friday’s game took an odd turn for the 49ers when Gonzalez hurt his calf in pregame warmups. With rookie K Jake Moody already out with a quad injury, San Francisco had no available kickers. Gonzalez will miss a few weeks according to Shanahan. It’s unclear how the team will handle its 53-man roster decisions at kicker, but missing a few weeks won’t help Gonzalez’s case.
S Tayler Hawkins (hand)
Hawkins was a long shot to make the 49ers’ 53-man roster, but a broken hand that will require surgery will surely keep him from sticking around. A timeline for his return is unknown. His season is over if he goes on IR before final cuts. The team could also let him go and re-sign him to the practice squad, but how they operate on that front will be dependent on how long the injury is expected to keep him out.
TE Cameron Latu (knee)
Latu suffered a meniscus injury against the Chargers and had swelling after the game. The rookie third-round pick will likely need surgery according to Shanahan. It’s unclear what his timeline for return is. If he’s going to miss significant time and the team wants him to play this season, Latu will have to make the active roster and then go on IR in order to be able to return in 2023.
RB Jordan Mason (foot)
There’s good news and bad news for Mason. He did suffer a sprained foot in Friday’s game, but it doesn’t sound like a long-term injury. Shanahan indicated Mason is day-to-day. With two weeks until the season opener he should have plenty of runway to get healthy by then.
CB AJ Parker (hamstring)
Parker late in the first half pulled his hamstring while covering a punt. He had an outside shot to make the 53-man roster, but missing a few weeks isn’t going to help his cause. He’s still a practice squad candidate after putting together a nice preseason.
