The 49ers walked out of SoFi Stadium with a 41-17 preseason win over the Chargers on Thursday night, but the real story for San Francisco was the injury pileup that came with it. Three players left hurt, and with final cuts looming, that kind of damage lands hard.
Austen Pleasants was the first concern. The offensive lineman went down in the third quarter with a knee injury, appearing to buckle before heading to the medical tent. Kyle Shanahan told reporters afterward, according to Yahoo Sports, that it does not appear to be an ACL tear, but the team still needs imaging on Friday to get the full picture.
Renardo Green didn’t finish the game either. The rookie cornerback exited with a hamstring issue and is questionable to return, and Shanahan said the team doesn’t yet know how serious it is.
“We’ll have to get some imaging on that tomorrow to see if he pulled it,” Shanahan said. Jack Jones filled in at cornerback after Green left, and according to ClutchPoints, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported Jones took over Green’s spot right away.
Jones has NFL experience with New England, Las Vegas and Miami, and he had already shown coverage ability in joint practices against Tennessee.
The timing is especially rough for Green, who is still trying to rack up game reps before Week 1 after missing camp time earlier this summer with a neck issue.
Nick Martin also exited late with a hamstring injury, per Shanahan. That one matters, too. Martin is battling for a roster spot with cuts less than two weeks away, and he had already made a play that counted earlier in the night by forcing a special teams fumble that the 49ers turned into points.
Shanahan also said left guard Robert Jones is dealing with an unspecified injury that could sideline him for next week’s preseason finale in Las Vegas. Jones has been one of the leaders in San Francisco’s left guard competition, so any missed time there could shake up the race right before cutdown day.
The bigger injury picture is still murky elsewhere on the roster. Nick Bosa has spent most of camp away from contact as he continues coming back from the torn ACL that limited him to three games last season. There was at least some encouraging news there: Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group posted on X that Bosa is running well in side work and no longer wearing a support sleeve on his surgically repaired knee.
Mykel Williams is on a similar path, though Shanahan isn’t exactly pumping the brakes on optimism. The second-year edge rusher is recovering from his own ACL tear, and while the coach has not ruled him out for the opener against the Rams, he made it clear Week 1 would be a stretch.
“He’s further away than those other guys you guys just asked about, but we do think he’s close,” Shanahan said. “I do think Week 1 would be a long shot, but we haven’t ruled it out yet.
But he’s progressing very well.” Williams tore the ACL in Week 9 of his rookie season and finished with 20 tackles, four for a loss, and a sack in nine starts.
On the field, though, San Francisco was in control most of the night. Adrian Martinez ran for a touchdown and hit Jordan Watkins for another score after a forced fumble.
Khalil Herbert and Sincere McCormick also scored on the ground, with McCormick breaking loose for a 37-yard gain. Jacob Cowing added an explosive punt return.
The Chargers didn’t generate much until late, when they put together a touchdown and a two-point conversion to close the gap to the final score.
Now the 49ers head to Las Vegas for their preseason finale next week before opening the regular season on September 10 against the Rams.
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