Injuries are unavoidable in the NFL. No team is going to make it through a now-17-game season without injuries. That's why having good depth is so important. However, there remain some players who, if they leave the lineup, could dramatically impact a team's production.
We saw a lot of that with the San Francisco 49ers last season. Injuries plagued the roster as the team limped its way through a six-win season. You knew the loss of pass rusher Nick Bosa to a torn ACL in Week 2 would impact the season. On the offensive side of the football, the team lost Jimmy Garoppolo, and the quarterback went on to miss 10 of the last 14 games.
The miserable injury luck continued this week. San Francisco lost two players to significant injuries during Monday's practice. Offensive lineman Justin Skule suffered a torn ACL, and safety Tarvarius Moore suffered a torn Achilles. The team was already without running back Jeff Wilson Jr., who may not return until November.
The latest injuries prompted the 49ers to cancel Tuesday's practice, and rumors are cycling that the team may forego its remaining offseason program practices and just reconvene on the practice field for training camp at the end of July.
On their latest podcast, Guy Haberman and John Middlekauff decided to rank the players the 49ers can least afford to lose. This isn't necessarily a ranking of the best players on the roster. The duo noted that San Francisco was able to manage without All-Pro tight end George Kittle for much of last season. That's not to say that he isn't an important part of the offense. It's just that they believe head coach Kyle Shanahan can scheme around his absence.
First on Haberman and Middlekauff's list is Bosa.
"I think we saw last year, with Nick Bosa, it dramatically alters everything," Middlekauff said, "because he is a superstar pass rusher. ... He's a guy that last year, a lot of people thought that (he'd have a) 15-sack (season) coming off his baller rookie year. And then he disappeared, and it just wasn't the same. He is a difference-maker, right?"
Middlekauff argues that Trent Williams could be 1B on the list after Haberman notes that the offensive tackle is vital in both pass protection and the rushing attack.
Next up are linebacker Fred Warner and Kittle. Middlekauff notes that Kittle, like Warner and Williams, is a dual-threat. The tight end is elite as a receiver and a run-blocker.
"[Warner] is the guy covering tight ends and running backs, and he's making all the tackles in the run game," Middlekauff said.
Haberman would put second-year wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on his list. However, Middlekauff isn't ready to add the young wideout to his list based on his 12-game resume but later noted that he could be convinced to back the selection.
"I would put Aiyuk there, based on what I think he can become," Haberman said. "... But he's got to be healthy. But I think if he is, I think he's a ... like for them ... a Tier 1 kind of playmaker."
Adds Middlekauff: "What he showed last year, [Aiyuk] has a better opportunity, probably, than Deebo (Samuel) to become like a top-15 wide receiver in his time. Deebo is just more of a unique outlier, really good player. But I don't think anybody's ever going to be talking about him like a top-5 wide receiver in the NFL. And I'd say, so far, through two years, you couldn't put him on a list of guys not going to get hurt. He gets hurt."
There are others for whom they make a case. You can watch the entire conversation below.
'The production speaks for itself': Marc Ross says 49ers must exercise Nick Bosa's fifth-year option
By David Bonilla
Jan 11
It's time for NFL teams to start thinking about exercising the fifth-year options of their first-round picks in the 2019 NFL draft. That includes some pretty big names, like Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. The window to exercise those options opened on Monday, with the deadline set for May 2.
NFL Media analyst Marc Ross went through each first-round pick from 2019, voting "Yes" or "No" to indicate whether he feels their respective teams should exercise the fifth-year option.
For the San Francisco 49ers, that means looking at the possibilities for defensive end Nick Bosa. This one seems like a no-brainer. Bosa is the team's best pass rusher and its best player on the defensive side of the ball. He is a foundational piece on defense, and the unit's
49ers' Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel named to 2021 NFL All-Pro Team
By David Bonilla
Jan 14
Two San Francisco 49ers players were named to their first NFL All-Pro team. One is third-year wide receiver Deebo Samuel, one of the most dynamic players in the game. The second is the team's nine-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle, Trent Williams.
Both were first-team selections.
Until now, Williams, a first-round draft pick in 2010, has gone his entire career without being named to an All-Pro team, which may be difficult to believe. On Thursday, a reporter asked the veteran tackle what it would mean to finally be named an All-Pro.
"I think it would feel good, finally," Williams responded. "It sucks because I can't let it define my career because I've never made it. If I felt like that's what I needed to define my career, then anything I've done up to
49ers' Kyle Shanahan shares George Kittle story while discussing player honesty regarding injuries
By David Bonilla
Jan 9
Kyle Shanahan has noticed many changes since transitioning from an offensive coordinator to the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. One that he maybe didn't expect to be so drastic is how honest his players are with him when it comes to injuries, even when he hopes for complete honesty.
Shanahan is one of the team's top decision-makers. That means his players look to impress him with their toughness. In their minds, that means pushing through certain injuries to be available.
Shanahan joined KNBR this week and was asked to estimate what percentage of his players are actually honest with him regarding the severity of their injuries. The answer was surprisingly low. As a head coach, Shanahan figures that only about five percent are completely honest. That number
Rapoport discusses injuries to 49ers defenders Nick Bosa, Fred Warner
By David Bonilla
Jan 17
The San Francisco 49ers finished Sunday's game without two of their best defenders. Pass rusher Nick Bosa left the game at the end of the first half and was ruled out with a concussion. Linebacker Fred Warner exited the second half and did not return due to an ankle injury.
"On Nick Bosa's concussion, my information is that I cannot speculate on a concussion," NFL insider Ian Rapoport said Monday morning on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "And it's not just me. It's impossible. Teammates sounded like he was talking in the locker room and OK, but that doesn't actually mean anything because everyone recovers from concussions differently, and you can't tough it out."
Bosa has hurdles to get past to play in Saturday's playoff game against the Green Bay Packers,
