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After a season filled with seemingly countless injury issues, the San Francisco 49ers may be down another wide receiver.
The 49ers took on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11 already missing top passing targets WR Brandon Aiyuk and TE George Kittle. But bad turned to worse when rookie Jacob Cowing suffered a knee to the helmet during the game.
Cowing has been the team’s primary punt returner this season, and it was a return that led to the injury. Cowing took a blow to the head and was quickly taken to the blue medical tent on the sideline.
Not long after, Cowing was seen walking into the locker room. In the third quarter, the 49ers officially announced that he had suffered a concussion and would not return to the game.
“#SEAvsSF@DignityHealth injury updates: Tatum Bethune (knee) is out, Jacob Cowing (concussion) is out and Renardo Green (finger) will return,” the team’s official X account posted.
Cowing has already been dealing with minor injuries in his first NFL season, but this only puts salt on the wound. In a situation where San Francisco is already thin due to injuries, losing a developing rookie for an unclear amount of time is far from ideal.
Cowing’s Role in 2024
Cowing was drafted by the Niners in the 4th round of the 2024 NFL draft. The 23-year-old played his college ball at UTEP and then Arizona, where he became a key weapon for the Wildcats.
After 3236 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns over his last three seasons in El Paso and Tuscon, Cowing joined the 49ers with promise. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan has had great success with developing mid-round receivers like Jauan Jennings, but it has been a slow start for Cowing.
He began the year with a major miscue, muffing a punt against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. However, he has taken clear steps forward maybe best evidenced by his 30-yard return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But offensive opportunities have been tough to come by. Cowing has played just 32 offensive snaps this season, making two receptions on three targets for 50 receiving yards.
49ers HC Has Kept Faith in Cowing
When Cowing muffed the punt against the Vikings, it was a red flag. Rookies always go through growing pains, but having question marks at punt returner is something NFL teams like San Francisco can’t deal with.
However, Cowing received immediate support from Shanahan after the game and has continued to maintain the role since.
“That’s one muffed punt,” Shanahan said on September 18. “Just when it comes to catching stuff, he’s been as natural of a catcher as we’ve had in our eight years here, just in practice, how he’s been in the games. I know that one got away from him, which we can’t have those. But everyone muffs one here and there. You just hope that was the end of it.”
Cowing has not muffed a punt since. If he is out for a significant amount of time, they may turn to FB Kyle Juszczyk, who came in for Cowing when he suffered a shoulder injury against the New England Patriots.
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