Getty Cornerback Jason Verrett #22 of the San Francisco 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers opened the regular season with a victory, but it did not come absent significant cost.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to members of the media following the game, detailing a knee injury suffered by cornerback Jason Verrett in the fourth quarter of the team’s 41-33 win over the Lions in Detroit on September 12.
Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, tweeted the news of Shanahan’s comments Sunday afternoon.
Kyle Shanahan says he’s worried that Jason Verrett sustained a torn ACL.
“Kyle Shanahan says he’s worried that Jason Verrett sustained a torn ACL,” Maiocco wrote.
Shanahan continued on in his own words.
“It’s crushing,” the head coach said. “I’m hoping for the best, but it’s crushing.”
Verrett’s Injury the Latest in String of Unfortunate Health News for Niners
GettyJalen Hurd
Verrett was not the Niners’ only casualty in Detroit on Sunday.
Running back Raheem Mostert, who missed half of last season with knee and ankle injuries, was also sidelined against the Lions Sunday and did not return.
ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the cause of Mostert’s departure was also tied to a knee issue.
49ers’ RB Raheem Mostert now ruled out for remainder of today’s game with a knee injury.
“49ers’ RB Raheem Mostert now ruled out for remainder of today’s game with knee injury,” Schefter tweeted Sunday afternoon.
The running back had been deemed fully healthy and a full go for Week 1. He carried the ball only twice, gaining a total of 20 yards, before he was knocked out. His status for the Niners’ game Sunday, September 19 against the Philadelphia Eagles remains unknown and/or undetermined by the team.
Shanahan last Wednesday also announced that wide receiver Jalen Hurd had re-aggravated an injury to the same knee in which he tore an ACL before the start of last season. That issue kept the wideout sidelined for the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign.
Hurd will miss at least three weeks with knee soreness after being sent to the injured reserve list (IR).
The third-round draft pick in 2019 is entering his third year in the league, but has yet to play even a single snap in a regular season game. Prior to his rookie year, Hurd broke a bone in his back that kept him out for that entire season, as well.
The wideout finally found the field during the team’s final preseason tuneup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, August 29. He caught 4 passes for 25 yards and registered 2 drops.
He has not practiced since that time.
Niners Search for Answers at Cornerback With Verrett Hurt
GettySan Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman sitting on the field contemplating his future.
The Niners recently signed cornerback Josh Norman, a former All-Pro, who played in nine games for the Buffalo Bills in 2020-21.
“He was definitely ready to go,” Shanahan told reporters Sunday of Norman’s status. “Josh actually told us if we tell him today that he’s up, he’ll be ready to go. So Josh has been a soldier all week, and I’m real excited to have him here. And I know he was ready this week, so I expect him to be ready next week also.”
The Niners head coach also addressed the notion of San Francisco pursuing another signing to bolster the defensive backfield.
“I’m not sure,” Shanahan said. “We do have the numbers and stuff. I mean, we’ll always look into everything every week, so keeping my fingers crossed on Verrett, but that’s something we’ll look into here, probably tonight, tomorrow and Tuesday.”
One such addition could be former Pro-Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman, who played his last three NFL seasons in San Francisco.
“We’ve discussed it,” Shanahan acknowledged. “I’ve talked to Sherm about it too, and Sherm’s always a possibility.”