Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Next man up, as they say. The San Francisco 49ers are being tested early this season. Earlier this week, the team learned that it was losing starting cornerback
Jason Verrett for the season after the defender suffered a torn ACL during Week 1. After that, it was revealed that the 49ers would be without running back Raheem Mostert for the remainder of the year. He will undergo season-ending knee surgery.
That's a significant contributor on each side of the football. Another significant loss was revealed today. However, that one is not believed to be season-ending. More on that in a moment because before that report surfaced, All-Pro tight end
George Kittle shared his thoughts on the injury issues that seem to be plaguing the 49ers early.
Yes, every team deals with injuries. However, the Niners had a league-leading number of them last season, and the expectation was that this year's squad could be much-improved if it can manage to stay relatively healthy. Losing two starters for the rest of the year is not a good start.
How do the 49ers avoid a "here we go again" mindset?
"It's something that we experienced as a team last year, and I think that last year was a little bit more, to the extent of [having] so many guys out at once, especially like after Week 2," Kittle told reporters. "So guys are like, 'Hey, we're not going to go down that road again.' Guys have been very adamant on their 'prehab,' their body-maintenance stuff. I think guys are on top of all their injuries and whatever we're dealing with right now.
"I think we have a very healthy team right now. We have a very confident team. The two injuries that we did have are absolutely brutal, and they're two of our best players on the team, but I think we have a lot of guys who can step up and make those plays."
Now, Kittle said this before news broke that the 49ers would also be without linebacker
Dre Greenlaw for an extended period of time. During this past weekend's game against the Detroit Lions, he suffered a core muscle injury, will
undergo surgery to repair the damage, and will reportedly miss six to eight weeks.
That's another starter who will be out of the lineup, and the losses have fans concerned. After all, last season's health struggles resulted in a six-win campaign, and the 49ers have division championship and playoff aspirations.
This weekend, we'll find out if the 49ers can overcome the personnel losses when the team takes on the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate.
"According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price."
While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
