The 49ers successfully made it through their preseason games without any starters suffering a major injury. Free safety Jimmie Ward has a hamstring issue that will land him on injured reserve to start the year. Beyond that San Francisco is on track to have all of its starters in the opener Sept. 11 vs. the Bears.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday spoke to reporters on a conference call and gave an update on some of the injuries from Thursday’s preseason finale and some of the players who’ve been dealing with injuries during the preseason:
LB Oren Burks (knee)
Burks suffered a knee sprain in the preseason finale vs. the Texans. Shanahan said the club expects the veteran linebacker will be ready for the season opener in Chicago. He’ll hold a key special teams role for San Francisco.
DL Akeem Spence (concussion)
Spence exited the finale early to be evaluated for a concussion. Shanahan told reporters the veteran defensive lineman is in concussion protocol.
LB Curtis Robinson (ankle)
Shanahan said Robinson has a high ankle sprain. Those injuries tend to take several weeks to heal depending on their severity. Robinson isn’t likely to earn the final linebacker spot on the 53-man roster, but he could be headed to the practice squad depending on how bad his injury is.
CB Charvarius Ward (hamstring)
The expectation for the 49ers was for Ward to return to action after the Texans game. Shanahan on Friday confirmed that’s still the case. San Francisco needs their top cornerback healthy so it’s a good sign that there weren’t any setbacks in his return.
Mike McGlinchey (knee)
McGlinchey had a knee issue after the preseason opener. Shanahan on Friday again said he’s hopeful McGlinchey will be in action on Sept. 11 when the 49ers face the Bears.
