49ers training camp: Bosa, Ford and Aiyuk to miss time, but how much?
It turns out rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk isn’t the only projected starter dealing with an injury as more news came to light following the 49ers’ resumption of training camp practice Tuesday after a day off.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said defensive ends Nick Bosa and Dee Ford are both dealing with leg injuries that could cause them to miss practice time after both ominously sat out Sunday.
Bosa initially was removed from team drills late during Friday’s practice and was given the day off Saturday. The team described it as a common maintenance day. Then Bosa didn’t practice Sunday nor was he on the field Tuesday.
Bosa recently went for an MRI that revealed a muscle strain in his legs that was worse than the team feared and now he’s considered “week to week,” according to Shanahan, with the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals just under three weeks away.
“With Nick, he complained on soreness in his legs a couple of days ago, so we weren’t worried about at all,” said Shanahan. “When the soreness was worse without (practicing), we got a little worried.
“I’m glad we ended up getting that MRI because there was more to it. He was about to go out and practice through it because he didn’t think it was much. Fortunately, got that and we were able to prevent him from hurting it worse.”
Last summer offers a silver lining for Bosa. He had a hamstring injury that cost him his first OTAs after missing most of his final year at Ohio State. Then, during the first week of training camp, he was rolled up on and suffered a high ankle sprain that cost him the entire preseason.
The questions about his durability persisted, but Bosa wound up playing in every game and won Defensive Rookie of the Year, so the team isn’t overly concerned about Bosa missing practice time ahead of the Cardinals game if it means getting him 100% healthy.
On Ford, he began observing practice early on Sunday following a one-on-one pass rushing drill and spent the early portion of Tuesday’s session in the weight room before joining Bosa to watch the second half of practice from the sideline.
“Dee Ford had calf irritation,” Shanahan said. “He’s had it the last couple of days. Went through it two days ago and then yesterday he came out for warm ups and it was just a little bit too tight. So we didn’t want to risk it two days ago. Then we gave him today off for it also.”
Shanahan said Ford’s status is day-to-day, which would indicate he’s likely to be healthy in time for Week 1, barring a setback.
Ford said earlier this month his goal was to be available for all 16 games this season after being limited to just 22 percent of the snaps last season. He also said the knee that led to his lack of playing time feels much better following offseason surgery performed by Dr. James Andrews in Florida.
But Ford doesn’t get the same benefit of doubt as Bosa given last season’s durability concerns. His status will be worth monitoring, but the media will only be allowed to observe three more practice sessions this week before practice gets closed off when the team hits regular season mode beginning next week.
With Bosa and Ford sidelined, Arik Armstead and Kerry Hyder received defensive end reps in full-team drills, though Armstead’s snap count remained limited after he missed the first four practices of camp with a minor back issue. He looks healthy and handled veteran guard Tom Compton during one-on-one drills.
Aiyuk, meanwhile, watched practice after leaving Sunday’s session when he tweaked his left hamstring while running a deep route in team drills. He had been a favorite target of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and was expected to be among the team’s top receivers, particularly with Deebo Samuel’s status is limbo as he works back from his broken foot.
Shanahan sounded relieved with the results from Aiyuk’s tests on his hamstring that revealed a “mild strain.”
“With what we thought at first, considered it good news,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan last week noted the importance of Aiyuk’s practice sessions leading to his early success. Now Aiyuk’s progress will hit a significant speed bump if he can’t continue to work with Garoppolo every day. Aiyuk appeared poised to play as often as Emmanuel Sanders did last year, which would be a big win for San Francisco given how limited practice time has been throughout the offseason.
Shanahan was asked about his frustration level with the injury situation at receiver considering the team is conceivably down three of its top options at the position while Samuel continues to work back from his broken foot and Jalen Hurd went down for the year last week with a torn ACL.
“You get frustrated a little bit when it happens, but it’s just happened too much to me that, over your career as a coach, that it’s just part of the game,” he said. “You try to look at, was anything done wrong or anything like that? Not at all. Aiyuk’s been in great shape. He’s working his tail off out there and sometimes that stuff just happens while you’re going through a training camp.
“That has been the challenge, just this training camp not being quite as long. So, it doesn’t leave much room for error with that type of stuff, but it happened to Bosa last year. When you’ve got guys who come in prepared, that gives them a chance when they don’t get all these reps. If Aiyuk didn’t come in the way that he did come in, he’d be screwed now with an injury. That’s what’s been cool about him that he’s given himself a chance to overcome something like this.”
D.J. Jones returns, Jordan Reed debuts
There was a bit of good news on the health front on Tuesday. Defensive tackle D.J. Jones, who left last Thursday’s practice with an apparent shoulder injury and concussion, returned Tuesday and was a full participant.
He made one of the plays of the day when he made a diving interception off a batted pass by new safety Johnathan Cyprien. Jones got up and sprinted to the end zone, but he had a Leon Lett moment when running back Jeff Wilson Jr. punched the ball out of Jones’ hands from behind just before he got to the goal line.
Tight end Jordan Reed made his debut in pads and looked spry. He caught both of his passes while running crips routes against starting strong safety Jaquiski Tartt in one-on-one drills. His work in 11-on-11s was limited, but he did haul in a pass over the middle from reserve quarterback C.J. Beathard.
“He’s been doing really good on the side. We wanted to ease him back in today,” Shanahan said. “When you’re not out for a while, you kind of have to go out and get your first practice in, take that monkey off your back. Hopefully he accomplished that today from his standpoint mentally, but physically, I thought he looked real good.”
Reed, of course, missed all of last season with a head injury and also had toe and hamstring issues dating back to 2018. Getting him healthy and involved in the offense could help the passing game significantly while the receivers deal with injuries.
His name is Earl (Thomas)
Shanahan dispelled the thought the 49ers might have interest in recently released safety Earl Thomas, who, of course, was part of the “Legion of Boom” in Seattle with Richard Sherman and was once considered the top safety in the NFL.
“I’m real happy with our safeties and no. Nothing against Earl, but there wasn’t interest just because we have our team,” said Shanahan. “We have the guys that we want at our spot and this is how we planned it.”
Thomas was recently released by the Baltimore Ravens for conduct detrimental to the team after reportedly getting into an altercation with a teammate and missing team meetings. He was let go by Baltimore after one season into the four-year, $55 million contract he signed during the 2019 offseason.
The 49ers this spring signed Jimmie Ward to be their starting free safety on a three-year, $28.5 million contract.
▪ Shanahan said the 49ers will have their final training camp practice inside Levi’s Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, which will also be the last session open in full to reporters.
▪ With Aiyuk out, recent addition Tavon Austin had his most productive practice of training camp on Tuesday catching a handful of passes from Garoppolo during team drills. Austin has a chance to make the team as a return man while Richie James Jr. is a candidate to miss the first six weeks on the non-football injury list with a right wrist injury.
The 49ers on Tuesday signed tight end Erik Swoope to a one-year contract and released undrafted rookie running back Salvon Ahmed. Swoope gives San Francisco depth while Ross Dwelley works back from a foot injury. Dwelley’s prognosis is unknown. Swoope spent five seasons with the Indianpolis Colts and logged 23 catches for 284 yards and four touchdowns in 24 games.
Ahmed’s practice reps had been limited because the 49ers have depth at running back with Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Jerick Mckinnon, Jeff Wilson Jr. and JaMycal Hasty above him on the depth chart. Mostert was given a routine day off on Tuesday, Shanahan said.
▪ Garoppolo received extensive red zone work on Tuesday taking away reps from Beathard and Nick Mullens behind the backup offensive line. It might have been the first time Garoppolo received reps during full-team drills behind anyone else but the starting offensive line.
“Our quarterbacks, they don’t have to run quite as much and they definitely aren’t hitting anyone in each play. So, when you take down the reps for the whole team, it ends up helping the team, but hurting the quarterback,” Shanahan said. “He stole C.J. and Nick’s reps there in the red zone today. So I think he ended up getting like six extra because of it.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 4:25 PM.