The San Francisco 49ers dealt with a lot of injuries during their exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys last week, and many of those players won't see the field in Week 2 of the preseason against the Houston Texans.
Teams aren't required to submit injury reports or inactive lists during preseason games, but there's plenty of evidence to suggest a number of San Francisco 49ers won't be seeing the field when the team takes on the Houston Texans on Saturday night at NRG Stadium.
SFGate.com's Eric Branch released a list of Niners unlikely to see the field during the game:
#49ers unlikely to play:
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) August 18, 2018
WR Max McCaffrey
RB Matt Breida
CB K'Waun Williams
CB Richard Sherman
RB Jerick McKinnon
S Marcell Harris
LB Malcom Smith
OT Garry Gilliam
TE George Kittle
DL Arik Armstead
DL Solomon Thomas
Running back Matt Breida suffered a shoulder injury against the Dallas Cowboys a week ago, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him sit out the rest of the preseason. With a calf injury to starting running back Jerick McKinnon, also likely to sideline him until Week 1, San Francisco elected to bring in 29-year-old veteran tailback Alfred Morris to supplement the depth chart.
Cornerbacks K'Waun Williams (ankle) and Richard Sherman (hamstring) are also doubtful, although Sherman was a full participant during the 49ers' joint practices with the Texans this week. For Sherman, it's likely a precautionary move.
Offensive tackle Garry Gilliam and defensive end Solomon Thomas both suffered concussions against Dallas and will need to clear protocols before returning. For Thomas, especially, his absence is something of a disappointment, as he looked solid in his few reps during the exhibition opener before getting hurt.
Meanwhile, second-year tight end George Kittle suffered a shoulder injury last week too. It's not expected to be serious, however it would be surprising to see him play the rest of the preseason as well.
On the positive side of San Francisco's injury front, offensive guards Joshua Garnett (knee) and Jonathan Cooper (MCL) should see the field for their first in-game actions this season. Both missed a sizable portion of training camp with their respective injuries. Yet they were both able to partake in full team drills on Thursday. Garnett spent his time working with the first-team unit, while Cooper worked with the twos. It's likely Garnett, who is still battling with Cooper for the 2018 starting job, starts Saturday and gives way to Cooper after the starters depart.
The Niners and Texans kick off at 8 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
