49ers Mailbag: What now with Jerick McKinnon? And other burning reader questions
Before we get to our latest mailbag, the news of the day. Running back Jerick McKinnon on Tuesday suffered another setback – his third of the summer – surrounding his right ACL tear, general manager John Lynch said on KNBR. It’s getting increasingly likely McKinnon winds up on injured reserve before the season starts.
“We’re working through it. I’m going to leave it at that,” Lynch said. “But yesterday was not encouraging from that standpoint with Jet. What that means, we’re not sure yet. We’re working hard to find that out.”
The 49ers are likely trying to figure out if McKinnon should go on short-term injured reserve or sit out the remainder of the season. The first scenario complicates things from a roster construction standpoint. McKinnon must be given a spot on the initial 53-man roster Saturday at 1 p.m. in order to play this season. He would have to sit the entire year, his second in a row, if he’s placed on IR before then.
With that, let’s start our mailbag with a McKinnon question.
Ian asks: Injury settlement (for McKinnon)?
It’s hard to say. The 49ers have had nothing but good things to say about McKinnon since signing him to a four-year, $30 million contract that included some $18 million in guarantees in March 2018. McKinnon has done just fine from a financial standpoint, but San Francisco’s decision about McKinnon’s future will come down to how they feel about his knee.
It could be that McKinnon just needs eight more weeks to get right, allowing him to return off short-term IR by Halloween (Week 9) in Arizona. If he misses the season, it’s highly unlikely the 49ers will pay him the $2.6 million of his $6.5 million base salary that vests next April. He will either be released or signed to a new contract that’s significantly more team-friendly. That’s what the team with linebacker Malcolm Smith this spring. Smith, of course, was released Tuesday after struggling with injuries the past two seasons.
Perhaps the 49ers have learned the hard way about the value of running backs relative to other positions, given the obvious durability concerns. It might be that Kyle Shanahan decides to address the position in the draft and with rookie free agents exclusively going forward. Former undrafted rookie Matt Breida is due for a new contract after this season which certainly bears monitoring.
Caleb Sutherland asks: Is there any thought that maybe Jason Verrett would be cut or will he make the 53 for sure?
Here’s what Lynch said about Verrett during the team’s stay in Denver earlier this month:
“The plan all along has been for Week 1. (We think) he’ll be ready. Jason, the nice thing is in the time he was with us, and on the field, he impressed. I think that’s been consistent throughout his career when he’s been able to play. He’s a really good football player. So we believe he can help us and we have we have tough decisions to make at that position group as well.”
And here’s what Shanahan said Aug. 8 after Verrett got hurt:
“Everyone studied him coming out of college, everyone knows the ability that he has. He’s one that we can be more patient with. We know the football player he is, we’ve seen the guy since he’s been here. He’s as good of a guy and as good of a competitor as I’ve been around. We’ve got ultimate trust in him, it’s just about him getting his body right.”
It sounds like the 49ers are going to keep him. And, frankly, there aren’t many (any?) better options on the depth chart as long as Verrett can return from his ankle injury soon. Cornerback is thin and the 49ers might be better off rolling the dice with Verrett given his upside than trotting out Dontae Johnson or Quinten Rollins.
Chris Ashton asks: If Kentavius Street goes on IR before the final cut down to 53, can he return this season?
No. He has to make the 53-man roster and then get placed on injured reserve Sunday. It’s possible, though the 49ers are deep along the defensive line and can only bring back two players of injured reserve per season. They’d be better off giving him another stash year with a chance to get healthy for 2020.
jgrover1533 asks: Do you think they’ll play it conservative with Nick Bosa Week 1 or let him play if he feels good?
Lynch during his radio segment Wednesday was asked about Bosa playing Week 1: “It’s definitely a possibility. Knowing how much he means to this organization and how we’re looking at this as long term proposition, we’re not going to rush anything. And doing what he does, it’s one thing to be able to run out here, but doing it against a 330-pound man, turning and all the things a D-lineman has to do is another level. But I can say we’re very encouraged with the way it’s going with Nick.”
I’m guessing it’s more likely they wait until Week 2 in Cincinnati just to be completely sure. The last thing they want to do is rush him back and have his aggravate the injury – as they might have with McKinnon.
ColdBlooded asks: Why do most 53 man projections include four reserve defensive tackles (D.J. Jones, Jullian Taylor, Sheldon Day, Solomon Thomas) but only one true edge (Ronald Blair III) to backup both Ford and Bosa? Would the team bring back Dekoda Watson for this reason?
The 49ers have given Arik Armstead a ton of playing time at defensive end and think he’s good enough to start there. The coaching staff would argue they have six players who can line up on the edge: Dee Ford, Bosa, Armstead, Thomas, Blair and DeForest Buckner, who played defensive end early in training camp after Bosa went down.
Sure, only Ford, Bosa and Blair are “prototypical” defensive ends, but the coaching staff likes the versatility of the other players. And they’ve harped on getting the best 11 players on the field. That indicates they’d rather play those guys at defensive end than release a player at another for someone like Damontre Moore just because Moore’s a more natural defensive end.
I don’t think Watson is coming back. The 49ers changed their style along the defensive front, emphasizing power from their defensive ends, which makes Bosa, Armstead and Thomas better fits outside this year. The team was willing to get rid of Watson and Cassius Marsh this offseason because they didn’t quite fit the new style. So unless something happened to Mark Nzeocha, preventing him from contributing on special teams, it’s hard to imagine Watson being brought back.
Zack Van Dyck asks: Should we be worried about Jalen Hurd’s back injury? Would hate to see another IR stash.
Back injuries are always worrisome. Trent Taylor’s in 2018 is an obvious example. He wasn’t nearly the same following back surgery three months before the regular season began. He was finally back to 100 percent this training camp before going down with a foot injury.
Hurd dealt with “back tightness” in the joint practices with the Broncos before the second preseason game in which he played eight snaps. He suited up for a practice before the Kansas City game but didn’t participate. This week, he was seen catching balls from the JUGGS machine during practice.
Shanahan said the plan is to re-evaluate Hurd’s back next week. I wouldn’t count on him being available for Week 1 given how cautious the team has been with injuries under the new performance staff. I’m guessing it’s a week-to-week situation from here on out.
Hurd missing time would almost guarantee the 49ers keeping seven receivers on the 53-man roster, unless he gets placed on injured reserve, which remains a possibility. We’ll know in the coming days.
