49ers training camp: Jalen Hurd likely out for the season, humidity takes its toll
The 49ers are fearing the worst for receiver Jalen Hurd, who underwent an MRI on Monday that was expected to reveal a torn ACL — almost a year after an August back injury cost him his first NFL season.
“It’s a pretty unfortunate thing for him,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We know what we went through last year with his back. The guy’s worked as hard as anyone on our team to get back, for him to get hurt before he actually got to go out there, and just a freak thing on air cutting. Really felt bad for the guy. But he’ll be back next year.”
The injury compounds San Francisco’s ongoing issues at receiver. The team is bracing for top wideout Deebo Samuel to miss time early in the season with a foot injury, on top of the offseason departure of Emmanuel Sanders in free agency. And Richie James Jr., the team’s top return man, has been sidelined with a fractured arm and it’s unclear when he’ll return.
“It’s been a little tough deal with receivers right now,” Shanahan said. “We’ve lost three guys before we’ve even practiced who were expected to make the team. … Not having Deebo, not having Richie and now losing Hurd, has put us in a little bit of a bind.”
Hurd began training camp practices Saturday listed by the 49ers as an active participant, though a team spokesman cautioned he would be worked back into the fold slowly after missing all of last season.
So Hurd’s first practice session of 2020 featured work during individual drills, which meant running routes and catching passes from quarterbacks. When the team portion began, Hurd went to an empty portion of the field to continue running routes and improve his conditioning.
It was more of the same on Sunday for the promising 2019 third-round pick who caught two touchdown passes in his preseason debut. But things changed quickly roughly an hour into the session. While his teammates were running 7-on-7 drills on the opposite field, Hurd hit the ground in a heap while running a route and immediately grabbed his right leg.
After being tended to by three members of the training staff, Hurd walked off the field on his own power into the team’s weight room for further examination. A few minutes later, he walked back to the locker room in Levi’s Stadium while his teammates continued to practice.
The NFL Network reported Monday morning the 49ers were fearing a torn ACL ahead of his afternoon MRI. The 49ers targeted Hurd in last year’s draft to become big-bodied target for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who could evolve into a tight end or H-back role to complement tight end George Kittle. Hurd also played running back at Tennessee and loved physicality and blocking, two key attributes of Kittle’s game.
Now the onus at receiver moves to first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk, who made a handful of catches from Garoppolo during team drills. Trent Taylor, the slot receiver who missed last season with a Jones fracture, is also expected to have a prominent role.
Kendrick Bourne, who made a number of crucial catches in 2019, has gotten off to a strong start in practice. And the team is hoping Dante Pettis, who disappointed last season, could return and make good on his status as a former second-round draft pick. Jauan Jennings, a seventh-round pick from Tennessee, is also in the mix and has played well so far.
The injuries led to a handful of veteran free agents to compete for spots and potentially offer more than just camp bodies. The team signed former first-round draft pick Tavon Austin and ex-Arizona Cardinals receiver J.J. Nelson to compete for spots. Austin could be in the running for the punt returner job if James is unavailable to start the regular season. The team also is expected to bring in former Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaron Brown for a workout.
Humidity takes toll as pads come on; defense slows passing game
The heat wave engulfing California also brought humidity to the Bay Area, perhaps zapping players’ energy they would normally have for the first day of padded practice.
“Guys are going hard and stuff, but guys die out pretty fast,” Shanahan said. “Which is what is expected on your third practice, first day of pads. But it’s going to come a lot faster (moving forward), so the key with the team is guys knowing how fast it’s going to come. That’s why it’s so important what they do between now and tomorrow so they can recover so we can get a real practice in tomorrow.”
Monday morning’s session came with temperatures in the mid 80s and roughly 70 percent humidity, and it may have contributed to some sloppiness, particularly for the offense. Though it’s common for defenses to have a leg up on offenses early in training camp — particularly a defense as good as San Francisco’s, which is returning 10 of 11 starters to a system that’s been in place going on four seasons.
The defensive line did a good job collapsing the pocket, and the secondary forced Garoppolo to double hitch on several throws. It wasn’t the cleanest day for Garoppolo or any of his pass catchers, though Bourne was able to make a highlight grab against safety Jimmie Ward near the end of practice that appeared to go for roughly 40 yards.
Bourne leaped high for a ball that wobbled from Garoppolo but still reached the target. Garoppolo often checked down to his running backs, which isn’t surprising given the state of the receiving corps. Bourne also caught two touchdown passes in a red zone period, one each from Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard.
▪ Slot cornerback K’Waun Williams did not participate in practice for the second straight day due to calf tightness, Shanahan said.
“We’re taking care of him. He could go if he wanted to or if we really needed him to,” he said.
Shanahan lumped Williams into the group of other players working to get back into football shape who aren’t expected to be sidelined for long. Arik Armstead, who has yet to practice because of back stiffness, was fully dressed and had his helmet on, but didn’t practice, instead rehabbing and working on conditioning.
▪ Jordan Reed hasn’t been on the field for the last two days after working out during individual drills on Saturday. Shanahan indicated he wasn’t concerned about his status, noting the former Washington tight end is getting back in shape after missing all of last season.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 2:32 PM.
