The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with injuries as they get ready for Week 1, and it seems like most of the injuries are coming from the wide receiver room. The latest injury to pop up was Jacob Cowing, and he could miss some extended time, according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows.
“Kyle Shanahan said DE Mykel Williams (knee) & NCB Upton Stout (calf) are on track to practice next week but that it will hinge on how they react to a workout this weekend…. He said WR Jacob Cowing (hamstring) will be out perhaps six weeks. That makes him an IR candidate,” Barrows wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Cowing is in his second season with the 49ers, and he was probably going to have a bigger role on the team this season with some of the changes on offense.
That means for the time being, the 49ers will have to find other players to make an impact on the team. There's a good chance that players such as George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey could see a lot of touches to start the season as several receivers look to get healthy.
49ers add to list of injured receivers
Another receiver who has been dealing with an injury for some weeks is Jauan Jennings, but Shanahan believes that he will be ready to go in Week 1. Jennings could possibly be the WR1 for the 49ers this season, and he had to step into that role last year with several injuries they had at receiver.
Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from his ACL injury from last season, and it's uncertain when he'll be back on the field. Jordan Watkins, whom the team drafted in the fourth round, is dealing with a high ankle sprain. Outside of injuries at the position, Demarcus Robinson will be serving a three-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
The 49ers traded for Skyy Moore recently, and he should be a help at receiver as they try to get everyone healthy.
Offensively, the 49ers took a step back last season with the injuries they had, with the biggest one being to McCaffrey, as he missed most of the season, came back, and then was injured again. Aiyuk missed most of the season with his ACL injury, and it was up to Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, and Deebo Samuel Sr. to carry the load.
With Samuel gone, the 49ers will have to find the next receiver to step up.
