Jerick McKinnon only recently returned to practice, and now could be facing another extended absence. The 49ers running back went down with a leg injury in practice today, and it’s reportedly “concerning” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The injury “did not look good” a source told Matt Barrows of The Athletic (Twitter link). More details are reportedly coming later when coach Kyle Shanahan has a conference call later today. Until then it’s hard to speculate, but it sounds like McKinnon could miss some serious time.
If McKinnon does end up missing time, recent free agent signing Alfred Morris and Matt Breida will fill in. Shanahan specifically sought out McKinnon in free agency as a pass-catching back he thought would be great for his offense, and signed him to a massive contract.
McKinnon signed a four-year $30MM contract in March, but hasn’t been able to stay on the field since. He missed the entire preseason with a calf injury, and only returned to conditioning drills earlier this week. Any missed time would be a big blow to the 49ers’ new-look offense.
Great! We need this guy to be healthy. He was going to be a huge part of the run and most importantly the pass game. Hope Morris can step up for us. Wasn’t sure about this signing to begin with but this isn’t starting off good at all. If he can’t stay healthy this year they should cut or trade him and go hard after Bell, cap space wouldn’t be an issue.
One Word: F|_|¢K
Flick?