San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Friday morning. He provided some injury updates on a couple of key players — defensive tackle D.J. Jones and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
Jones left practice on Thursday with a shoulder injury after the defender absorbed a goal-line hit. Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't have an update for reporters after practice, and it sounds like, even a day later, Lynch doesn't know much more than that.
Jones underwent initial tests to determine the extent of the injury, which were inconclusive. So the defender is undergoing more tests on Friday.
"We're going to be finding out here (soon)," Lynch said on the Murph & Mac show. "They did the initial scans. It was inconclusive. So they're taking further scans today. So we're crossing our fingers and holding that hope.
"I think he'll miss some time -- of days -- but we're holding out hope that it's not more than that. But we've got to wait and see what the further scans show. Not being evasive, just don't know yet."
Initial scans on D.J. Jones were inconclusive, GM @JohnLynch49ers said on @KNBR. He's getting more tests to determine the extent of his shoulder injury. #49ers
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) August 21, 2020
Lynch said the 49ers haven't ruled out Samuel for Week 1, but the team wants to be cautious with his recovery from the Jones fracture he suffered in June.
"I can tell you, he's doing really well in his rehab," Lynch said. "I always marvel at this: I think the good Lord made all of us different, and when you seem to be kind of a freakish athlete, I've always marveled at the way those types of athletes who actually heal faster. Even bones and things like that. Deebo seems to be on that trajectory.
"Having said that, I think it's going to be incumbent upon us and our doctors and the various doctors. He had a foot specialist back in Green Bay do his surgery. So he'll factor in along with our orthopedist, Tim McAdams, and our training staff of, 'OK, it looks like he's moving like he can play but have we given this ample time to fully heal?'
"Deebo is an excellent player and is going to be for a long, long time, so we have to be really prudent, and fight that urge — hey, at all costs, we have to have Deebo out there. We've got to do what's right for Deebo and for us for the long-term, and I can promise you, we'll certainly do that. But the way he's healing, he's doing really well, and we're encouraged by that."
Added Lynch: "We haven't ruled [Week 1] out. That's in line with the initial prognosis, and there's always a range there, and it would be on the early end of it. But he's doing well, and we'll just make a really good decision with a lot of information. He's doing everything he can, I can tell you that. We've been really proud of him, not only the way he worked this offseason, which I think is helping him on the backend because he was in such good shape, but the way, after the setback, the way he attacked the rehab. We're proud of him for the way he's working."
#49ers have not ruled out Week 1 against the Cardinals for @19problemz, says @JohnLynch49ers on @KNBR. Still, the team wants to be careful with his recovery.
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) August 21, 2020
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
