San Francisco 49ers rookie Cameron Latu is set to miss significant time after suffering a rather devastating injury on Saturday in their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Latu sustained a meniscus injury in his knee during their 23-12 loss to the Chargers, putting a lot of doubts in his availability for the 49ers in the 2023 season. The rookie tight end will require surgery, and while it's still uncertain how long he'll be out, San Francisco will need to make a decision with roster cuts coming up (per Eric Branch of San Francisco Chronicle).

The 49ers can put Latu on the injured reserve, which will effectively end his 2023 season before it even starts. They can also opt to include him in the 53-man roster and then put him on the IR, which would give him the chance to suit up in the upcoming campaign once he recovers.

It will definitely be a tough decision for the 49ers, but as head coach Kyle Shanahan said, they will first consider the timeline of his injury before making a decision. San Francisco is dealing with a slew of health setbacks, with the likes of Danny Gray, Ray-Ray McCloud, Chris Conley, Jake Moody and Zane Gonzalez all dealing with injuries of their own.

“It all plays into each other. We're not ready to decide, yet, but it all plays into the 53,” Shanahan said on the 49ers' injury woes and how it will affect their roster decision, via NBC Sports.  “We know the positions we want. We know the numbers that we need. We have to see who’s available. Some of these guys who are hurt, like Ray-Ray and Danny Gray, now Cam, we’re just going to have to see how long it is and whether to think about IR or whatever it is for the 53.”

It's certainly a less-than-ideal situation for the 49ers, but they have no other choice but to navigate through it. Hopefully, it won't slow them down as they try to replicate and improve from their success last season.