The hits just keep coming to the 49ers offense. First, preseason injuries left San Francisco without starting guard Jon Feliciano and rookie first-round wideout Ricky Pearsall. Then, star running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve after being unable to start the season healthy. Then, a calf injury to versatile receiver Deebo Samuel robbed the team of another weapon for a presumed several weeks. All this while the team’s other leading wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, struggles to find his groove after the preseason holdout for his new contract.
Now, the 49ers’ star tight end, George Kittle, will be the next key offensive piece in San Francisco to miss time. According to a team announcement, Kittle has been downgraded from doubtful to out as he deals with a hamstring injury. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds to the report, claiming that the injury does not appear to be serious, and the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to return to the field in Week 4. Hamstring injuries, though, have a tendency to linger, and even if he is able to shake it off enough to play next week, there’s a chance that he may not be 100 percent if the injury persists.
Quarterback Brock Purdy‘s supporting cast now consists of Jordan Mason at running back, Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Chris Conley at receiver, and Eric Saubert and Jake Tonges at tight end. Mason has been phenomenal in his replacement duties for McCaffrey. His 247 rushing yards through two weeks ranks second only to J.K. Dobbins (266 yards) for most in the NFL. With Samuel and Kittle gone, Jennings enters Week 3 as the team’s leading active receiver with 101 yards over two weeks. He’s followed in that statistic by Aiyuk (71 yards) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk (59 yards). Kittle is the only skill player with a receiving touchdown this season for the 49ers. Saubert (26 yards) is the only other tight end on the roster with a target.
In addition to Kittle’s absence, San Francisco also announced tomorrow’s standard gameday practice squad elevations. Tight end Brayden Willis and defensive end Sam Okuayinonu will get the honors of joining the active roster against the Rams. Willis will add some depth behind Saubert and Tonges, while Okuayinonu will add some depth in pass rushing situations for the second time this season. Both players will revert back to the practice squad after tomorrow’s divisional matchup.