The hospital wing of the 49ers facility in Santa Clara is already crowded. As of Thursday afternoon, it doesn’t look like the capacity will be thinning any time soon. The 49ers announced that two more key players are dealing with injuries as the team prepares to face the Rams in Los Angeles on Sunday.
All-Pro Tight end George Kittle missed Thursday’s workout with hamstring tightness. He’s been downgraded from healthy to questionable. Cornerback Charvarius Ward was also absent on Thursday, nursing a bad hamstring and knee. It’s very early, but the 49ers’ remarkably clean bill of health throughout the 2023 season does not seem to be carrying over to the 2024 campaign.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter effectively laid out how things currently stand for the banged up defending NFC champions.
As has been well documented, the Niners are already without superstar running back Christian McCaffrey and stud wide receiver Deebo Samuel. McCaffrey’s timetable for return is unclear as he deals with achilles tendinitis, while Samuel is considered week to week and could very well play in week five against Arizona. Prior to Thursday, key injuries had been largely kept within the offense. Ward’s is the first major brow furrow on the defensive side, excluding the continued rehab of Dre Greenlaw.
If Ward misses Sunday’s game, the Niners will be able to somewhat fill the void in the secondary with the return of safety Talanoa Hufanga. Hufanga was injured late in 2023, missing the entire playoff run and ultimately the first two games of 2024. His presence will be a welcome sight for a young secondary group that had a rough day in Minnesota in week two.
Circling back to McCaffrey, it’s worth noting how much the 49ers miss his multi-dimensionality as a back. Yes he’s a dynamic back, but Jordan Mason has run well enough through two weeks to mostly mask that void. Where McCaffrey’s absence is more deeply felt is in the pass game. Specifically as a safety valve for Brock Purdy if coverage downfield is blanketed. It’s a third down luxury, and one that hasn’t been enjoyed by San Francisco with Mason in the backfield.
Markus Boucher highlighted this deficiency on Thursday morning’s Murph and Markus morning show.
Whether Kittle and Ward play against the Rams is up in the air, but with or without that duo the Niners won’t be a fully stocked inventory of playmakers on both sides of the ball. Luckily, the Rams are arguably the league’s only team dealing with more injuries than SF. It’s still a game the 49ers should take.