49ers Make 5 Crucial Injury Reserve Decisions Ahead Of Week 10

Getty Azeez Al-Shaair of the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers fans, the cavalry is finally coming. That’s right, after amassing an injured reserve list that expanded into double digits, John Lynch and company have officially announced that four players, running back Elijah Mitchell, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, offensive tackle Colton McKivitz, and defensive end Jordan Willis have been activated off of injured reserve and thus will be making their way back onto the 53-man roster after at least a month away.

The roles the quartet are set to play, however, couldn’t be any more different.

After starting Week 1 as the Niners’ top running back, Mitchell is returning to the team as Kyle Shanahan’s clear RB2, tasked with playing a complementary role behind Christian McCaffrey. Fortunately, Mitchell has already expressed that both open to the role and to being mentored on the field by McCaffrey, so the 2021 sixth-round pick should be able to effortlessly step into the role filled by Jeff Wilson just before the Bye with ease.

Al-Shaair should also see a sizable role when he returns to the 49ers’ active roster, as the Florida Atlantic product started two of the Niners’ first three games of the season, and averaged 22 snaps per game as an off-ball linebacker next to Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. While Kinlaw and Warner are likely locked in as DeMeco Ryans’ top two linebackers, Al-Shaair should remain a fixture of the 49ers’ defense when he returns.

And as for McKivitz and Willis? Well, the duo are likely set to fill reserve role on the 49ers’ offense and defense, respectively, with McKivitz filling a swing tackle role behind Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey, and Willis providing depth behind Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam, as they only have five starts combined over their tenures in San Francisco.

The San Francisco 49ers’ Injured Reserve Added A New Member Too

While the 49ers were able to take four players off of their injured reserve list, they did have to add a new name to the list to take their place in Jason Verrett, who suffered a torn Achilles in only his second practice back with the team.

After suffering a torn ACL in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, Verrett began the 2022 NFL season on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) before having his practice window activated on October 5th. Unfortunately, before Verrett could even return to the field, his season came to a premature end, and will now have to fight back from yet another injury in a career marred by injuries.

The San Francisco 49ers Get Promising News On Friday Injury Report

After having 11 players land on the Week 10 injury report, only one player on the active roster, Arik Armstead, has been ruled out for the 49ers’ Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, with only one other player, Ebukam, currently listed as questionable for the contest.

While that could theoretically change before game time, as the final injury report doesn’t have to be filed until shortly before kickoff, as things presently stand, Williams, Greenlaw, Aaron Banks, Juan Jennings, Kyle Juszczyk, Deebo Samuel, Jimmie Ward, and Tyler Kroft are all scheduled to play in Week 10.