Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers kicked off preparations Wednesday, and their initial Week 3 participation report showed a busy list of absences.
49ers Lose Another Defensive Tackle to IR
San Francisco placed defensive tackle C.J. West on injured reserve Wednesday with a knee injury, the ninth player the team has placed on IR since final roster cuts on Aug. 30. The move leaves the 49ers notably thin at defensive tackle.
Coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the growing concern directly. “Anytime you have five D-tackles make a team and you’re down to two of them after two games, that’s always a concern for anybody,” Shanahan said. “We were able to sign one new guy, Naquan Jones from the Vikings practice squad, and then we’ve got three guys on practice squad, Isaac Alarcon, Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez, that will be competing to see who’s up. We’ve got guys there in this building, so we’ve got to see how those guys step it up.”
Wednesday’s Full Participation Report
Eight players did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, though several of those absences were rest-related rather than new injury concerns. Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams were all held out for rest purposes, a veteran maintenance day rather than a health scare. The remaining absences carry more weight. Wide receiver Mike Evans sat out with a hip injury, defensive end Romello Height with a hand issue, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson with an ankle injury, and defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. with an ankle problem of his own.
Evans’ situation is worth monitoring closely given his early-season role. Signed as an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Evans played 75 percent of San Francisco’s snaps in Week 1 and caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown. His workload dropped considerably against the Dolphins after the hip injury, limiting him to three catches for 54 yards on just 28 snaps, or 54 percent of the offense. San Francisco has already responded to its receiver depth concerns by signing Brandin Cooks to the practice squad this week, giving the team another veteran option as Evans, Robinson, Christian Kirk and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling all deal with injuries in some capacity.
DNP: WR Mike Evans (hip), DT James Thompson Jr. (ankle), DE Romello Height (hand), WR Demarcus Robinson (ankle)
Vet days (won’t practice): DE Nick Bosa, LB Dre Greenlaw, RB Christian McCaffrey, OT Trent Williams
Arizona’s Injury Situation
The Cardinals also have their own list of absences heading into Sunday. Nose tackle Roy Lopez, cornerback Max Melton, left guard Isaac Seumalo, outside linebacker Josh Sweat and safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson all sat out Wednesday, with Seumalo and Sweat held out for rest purposes similar to San Francisco’s veterans. Center Hjalte Froholdt, cornerback Garrett Williams and inside linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. were all limited participants. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was the lone player to log a full practice among those listed with an injury designation.
49ers Get Concerning Injury News Ahead of Cardinals Game