Nearly three months after losing Trey Lance to a season-ending broken ankle, the 49ers saw Lance insurance policy Jimmy Garoppolo go down with a broken foot. Although Garoppolo’s exact prognosis is being determined, Kyle Shanahan said again Monday he is done for the season. Garoppolo appears to, however, have avoided Lisfranc trouble, Shanahan said (via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, on Twitter). Garoppolo went through an offseason of trade talk and has long been expected to hit free agency, but a report surfacing hours before his latest injury indicated the 49ers are interested in another reunion. Garoppolo’s third season-ending injury as a 49er may well affect that, but Lisfranc trouble being avoided would aid the nine-year veteran as he attempts to successfully navigate another rehab program.
Here is the latest from the NFC West:
- Staying with the 49ers, they lost one of their defensive linemen to another significant injury. Hassan Ridgeway sustained a pectoral strain and will miss six to eight weeks, Shanahan said. Ridgeway operated as the 49ers’ Arik Armstead replacement for much of this season, making seven starts for the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense. Armstead made a long-awaited return in Week 13, but the team is now without Ridgeway and Javon Kinlaw. San Francisco has a complicated IR situation, having used seven of its eight injury activations already. If the team wants to have Elijah Mitchell back, it cannot activate Kinlaw. This situation may end Ridgeway’s season, if the 49ers move him to IR. Of course, it might come down to which player is readiest come playoff time.
- The Rams kept a locker reserved for Odell Beckham Jr., though as it becomes clear the free agent wideout is not returning to Los Angeles, they are no longer doing so. OBJ previously expressed dissatisfaction with the Rams’ offer, and The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes the team submitted an incentive-laden proposal. That said, Rodrigue adds the Rams were flexible regarding the back end of the deal. Beckham has wanted a multiyear commitment. It will be interesting to see how Beckham’s next team ends up compensating him, as he is 30 and has sustained two ACL tears within a 20-month span. Waiting until 2023 — when a thin free agency wideout class is expected to be available — may have been Beckham’s better play.
- Matt Rhule‘s poaching of NFL assistants is not limited to the Panthers’ staff. The new Nebraska HC is bringing over Rams offensive assistant Jake Peetz, Pete Thamel of ESPN.com tweets. Peetz, who coached Panthers quarterbacks under Rhule in 2020, is expected to reprise that role with the Cornhuskers. Peetz, who also played at Nebraska during the mid-2000s, follows Panthers assistant D-line coach Terrance Knighton as active NFL staffers set to leave their current gigs for Lincoln.
- The Packers claimed Justin Hollins off waivers from the Rams, but Field Yates of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) the Seahawks also submitted a claim for the young linebacker. Hollins has played in two Packers games as a reserve. Unlike recent Seahawks waiver claim Johnathan Abram, Hollins has seen extensive defensive action (35 plays) in Green Bay thus far.
Man, when it comes to injuries the 49ers have the absolute worst time keeping players healthy.
This year ON DEFENSE alone they’ve had extended absences from Bosa, Armstead, Kinlaw, Ebukam, Greenlaw, Both Jimmy and Mooney Ward, Al-Shaair, T.Moore, H.Ridgeway, and I’m sure I’m probably forgetting someone as well… /:
Somehow, someway they’ve been able to overcome all their injuries thanks to their overall depth. Even so, there has also been games like when they played the Falcons when they had almost two-thirds of their starters out.
That isn’t even including Mitchell being out for almost every game, Trent Williams, Trey Lance, and George Kittle missing multiple games, and then Juice and Deebo have each also missed a game or two…Now, Jimmy G is out for the year, and they just lost T.Moore and Ridegway likely for the year as well; all the while, Nick Bosa is dealing with a new hamstring injury…
I fully realize ALL TEAMS deal with injuries, but good lord it just seems like the 49ers get decimated with injuries EVERY YEAR!!
Thankfully Kyle Shannahan, John Lynch, DeMeco Ryans, and the rest of the staff and front office has built up so much quality depth on this team; otherwise, they wouldn’t stand a chance at even remaining competitive with all they’ve gone through.
Here is to hoping they can stay relatively injury free the rest of the way, Purdy can do his best managing the offense, and Kyle and DeMeco can continue scheming up victories!!
K.
It’s crazy to further penalize a team like the Niners by having a limit on the number of players who can return from the injured list. It’s the only sport that does this. Doesn’t make sense.
If you had a dollar for every decision Goodell made that didn’t make sense you would be financially fixed for life.