Kicker Robbie Gould suffered a quadricep injury during a light practice on Tuesday, prompting the San Francisco 49ers to bring in a potential replacement. Gould's status for Monday night's NFC West showdown against the Seattle Seahawks is uncertain, with head coach Kyle Shanahan saying on Thursday that there is "a chance" his veteran kicker will be available.
The good news is the injury does not seem to be a long-term concern.
"I think he's got a chance to play Monday," Shanahan told reporters. "If not, we expect him back the following week."
The early signing of rookie kicker Chase McLaughlin is a good indication that the 49ers aren't overly optimistic about Gould's chances of playing in Week 10. General manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Friday morning and discussed the kicker situation.
"I can tell you that we wouldn't have gone and signed a kicker — that means we had to cut someone that we liked — if we weren't very concerned about that," Lynch said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "We went out, found this Chase McLaughlin. He comes highly recommended, did a good job for the Chargers earlier this year.
"Our mindset was, 'Let's not wait until the end. Let's kind of get him in here, get that operation.' Because when you're kicking field goals, that's what it truly is, is an operation. We would not have done it had we not had legitimate concern.
"Robbie's done this for a long time. He's a pro. He's on the Kittle hours, you know, getting as much treatment as he can. But surprisingly enough, kicking a football, that's kind of a violent action. There's a lot going on there, and if your quad is strained, that's a tough deal. So we'll see if he makes it. If not, we'll be prepared.
McLaughlin entered the league this year as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills, who waived him on August 31. He spent a brief time on the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers on October 1.
The Chargers waived McLaughlin on October 29 after he connected on six of his nine field-goal attempts and went 7-for-7 on extra points.
"We obviously love Robbie," Lynch continued. "We invested in him highly this offseason, but we also want him for the long-term. We don't want to be foolish by sending him out there when he's not ready."
Gould, a 15-year veteran, has connected on just 13 of his 20 field-goal attempts this season but has connected on each of his 26 extra-point attempts.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.