Niners Nation
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan provided injury updates on Monday afternoon.
Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall re-aggravated his PCL. He also has a sprained ankle. It’s a low sprain. Pearsall may not practice this week. Shanahan said there’s a “concern” with Pearsall’s injuries, but wouldn’t rule him out for next week:
“It’s real painful for awhile but it can go away. Not at all like it was when he first did it, but it does take time for that pain to go away. Hopefully sooner than later.”
Sounds like Pearsall will have to play through some pain. Shanahan believed it’s similar to what Mac Jones went through earlier in the season when he had a knee injury.
Pearsall’s injury isn’t as severe as the PCL injury he suffered earlier in the year, but the combination of injuries is what will make his status worth monitoring.
Shanahan said the goal is to open Jacob Cowing’s practice window ahead of Week 17’s game against the Bears. Last week, Shanahan said the team will open Cowing’s window as soon as he’s fully healthy.
As for wide receiver Jordan Watkins, it sounds like he needs to practice better. Or show more during practice so he can play during the games. Watkins has been buried on the depth chart and hasn’t played in several weeks.
The best news came when Shanahan said Spencer Burford checked out “pretty good.” Sounds like he avoided the dreaded high-ankle sprain. Burford left yesterday’s game in the fourth quarter. Connor Colby played the final drive. Burford is expected to practice this week.
The 49ers are hoping to get linebackers Tatum Bethune (high-ankle sprain) and Eric Kendricks (calf) back at practice this week, as well as edge rusher Sam Okuayinonu (high-ankle sprain). Linebacker Nick Martin remains in the concussion protocol.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott will practice after suffering an injury during pre-game on Sunday. The player the team called up, Sebastian Valdez, was rewarded for his hard work. Valdez received a game check each of the past two weeks, despite not being active on game day.
