The San Francisco 49ers will enter a crucial Week 8 showdown with the Dallas Cowboys in a bad way on the injury front.
They took the field Wednesday for the first practice of the week and had nine players either out or limited by injuries. That doesn’t include players like Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk who are both on IR.
Among the non-participants Wednesday was wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He was hospitalized with pneumonia, but has since been released from the hospital and has a chance to play in Sunday’s game according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Here’s the rest of Wednesday’s participation report:
Did not participate
WR Deebo Samuel (wrist, illness)
WR Jauan Jennings (hip)
K Jake Moody (ankle)
TE George Kittle (foot)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
S George Odum (knee)
OL Trent Williams (Not injury related)
This is suboptimal for the 49ers. Samuel and Jennings were both ostensibly out for Week 7’s loss to the Chiefs. Samuel tried playing, but only got three snaps in before missing the rest of the game. If they’re both out Sunday and Kittle can’t go, it will leave the 49ers and quarterback Brock Purdy woefully short on weapons in the passing game. All three players are capable of playing even without practicing during the week, but it would be nice to see them in action at least in a limited fashion before Friday.
Limited participation
WR Chris Conley (ankle)
RB Jordan Mason (shoulder)
DE Nick Bosa (elbow)
Conley was dinged up in Sunday’s game, so it’s a good sign for the 49ers’ receiving corps that he’s able to at least get a limited session in. Mason played through his shoulder injury last week, while Bosa started wearing an elbow sleeve or brace during the game. Shanahan hasn’t mentioned any injury issues with Bosa, so the severity is unclear.
