Rookie practice squad receiver Jauan Jennings suffered a pretty bad hamstring injury, landing him on injured reserve on October 24. How serious was the injury?
"He pulled his hamstring very bad," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday, "the worst one on our team this year. Almost ripped it. I know he's trying to get there."
You might wonder what the point is of pushing for Jennings' return. The 49ers are 5-8, and their playoff chances are slim. Why not just let Jennings rest?
It's because he is a rookie. With that comes the need for experience. That's why Shanahan is hopeful of getting his young receiver back and maybe even getting him some valuable reps, whether in a game of just on the practice field.
"Hopefully, maybe he'll get a week or two here at the end," Shanahan said, "but that's just to get him a little more experience before we head into this offseason. This offseason will be big for Jauan."