There was a scary moment Friday early in the 49ers and Raiders second joint practice. Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams was hit hard by 49ers linebacker Oren Burks on a throw across the middle of the field according to reporters on site at the Raiders facility.
Adams was slow to leave the field before exiting to the locker room with an apparent leg injury.
While joint practices do have an extra layer of intensity, the goal is certainly not to hurt an opponent, which is what 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks expressed in his post-practice press conference.
“Unfortunate Adams went down,” Wilks said. “I really just thought it was a bang-bang hit – definitely nothing intentional, and definitely hoping that he has a speedy recovery because he’s definitely one of the top players in this league. So, want to see him out there performing and doing his thing.”
The 49ers are very familiar with exactly how good Adams is capable of being. He lit them up for seven catches, 153 yards and two touchdowns when San Francisco visited the Raiders in January.
Fortunately, early reports from Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels indicate Adams didn’t suffer a major injury in the collision, although there’s still nothing official.
“I haven’t seen anything,” McDaniels said. “I don’t think it was crazy serious, it was just kind of a bang-bang play. Totally clean on both sides.”
Given the timing of the injury it wouldn’t be a surprise if Adams sits out the preseason opener Sunday even if he’s okay. Hopefully he avoided anything serious and will be ready for the Raiders’ season opener.
