The San Francisco 49ers will be without both of their starting safeties on Sunday when they travel to Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots. Jaquiski Tartt has been dealing with a groin injury all week and has been ruled out. Head coach Kyle Shanahan surprised reporters on Friday with the news that Jimmie Ward suffered an injury during Thursday's practice and also will not play.
"He strained his quad in practice yesterday," Shanahan said. "So, we got the MRI back late last night, and he's not going to be able to go this week."
The coach was asked if the injury could force Ward to miss multiple games.
"It could," Shanahan responded. "They gave it, I think, a 1.5 grade. I don't think it would be real long, but we know for sure he's not going to make the trip with us, and we hope that'll help him get a chance to be ready for next week."
Shanahan feels like the coaching staff has a pretty good idea which two players will start in Tartt's and Ward's places on Sunday, but he's not willing to tip his hand just yet and give the Patriots any advantage.
"We'll continue discussing it," the 49ers coach said. "I've got a pretty good idea, but we're going to surprise you on Sunday."
The situation likely means an opportunity for both Tarvarius Moore and Marcell Harris, or maybe Shanahan has something else up his sleeve. Should Moore and Harris get the call, the defense has a lot of trust in the two carrying the load against Cam Newton and the Patriots.
"Just from what I've seen, over the time of just a year of being here, a year-and-a-half, and the way that those guys play and practice, they're prepared in practice," linebacker Dre Greenlaw said of Moore and Harris on Friday. "When it's time for them to come in, when we had our starters in, whenever it's time for them to come in, they did a great job.
"For us as a defense, it's just going to take a lot of communication, a lot of talking, and I think they'll do just fine."