SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 11: Deebo Samuel Sr. #19 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball after his reception against Julian Love #20 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 11: Deebo Samuel Sr. #19 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball after his reception against Julian Love #20 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The 49ers’ injury list can barely fit on one page.
In fact, it probably can’t.
Entering Week 5’s game with the Seahawks, San Francisco already had 16 players stashed on injured reserve, along with another four banged-up players who could have been placed on IR but were kept on the 53-man roster for flexibility and were, instead, game-day inactives.
Then came Sunday’s physical, down-to-the-wire 32-29 victory in Seattle. By the time the final whistle blew, the 49ers had lost another two key pieces to multi-week injuries, further testing the structural integrity of coach Kyle Shanahan’s depth chart.
Samuel, Wallow Sidelined
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel headlines the latest wave of casualties. Samuel suffered a right hamstring injury while losing a third-quarter fumble in Seattle and is now poised to miss multiple weeks.
“Got it pretty good, so he is going to miss some time,” Shanahan said Monday on his media conference call.
The offensive setback was mirrored on defense. Linebacker Garret Wallow also went down in Seattle with a hamstring injury of his own and will be sidelined for at least a few weeks as well.
Vote of Confidence for Cowing
Jacob Cowing likely went sleepless after his trip to Seattle.
His muffed punt in the first half proved to be an early turning point, giving Seattle prime field position that led directly to a Seahawks rushing touchdown.
Cowing, who also saw time at wide receiver, later suffered an ankle injury, but returned to the contest to haul in one reception. He was also the intended target on Brock Purdy’s lone interception of the afternoon.
Despite the critical blunder on special teams, Shanahan gave Cowing a firm vote of confidence Monday:
“No, it wasn’t enough,” Shanahan said of removing Cowing from return duties. “It is something that he can’t do, should have… called a fair catch on it. We are not changing his position yet, and I thought he did a couple of good things in the game, too, but nothing right now.”
The 49ers have added two returners on their practice squad in Xavier Smith and Brandon Codrington in the early weeks of the season. If Cowing’s position is, counter to Shanahan’s statement Monday, in jeopardy, expect the Niners to call up one of the two.
Greenlaw Suspended, Dugger Steps Up
Compounding the loss of Wallow, the 49ers face more trouble at linebacker after the NFL issued a one-game suspension to linebacker Dre Greenlaw Monday, stemming from his headbutting of Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones along the Seattle sideline on Sunday.
“I was disappointed they decided to do that, but it is what it is,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan added that Greenlaw will go through an appeal process with the league Tuesday in an effort to have the suspension overturned. If it is upheld, the 49ers will likely lean heavily on rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger again in Week 6.
Dugger answered the bell in Seattle after Greenlaw was ejected and amid Wallow’s absence, producing nine total tackles (seven solo), a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and his first career NFL sack.
“I also thought Dugger played really well in that spot [moving] there with few reps, ” Shanahan said.
As for second-year linebacker Nick Martin, who landed on injured reserve after cut-down day in August with a hamstring issue, Shanahan admitted he “hasn’t asked about Nick,” though noted he might do that this week given the razor-thin depth.
Potential Reinforcements and Looming Deadline
There is a glimmer of optimism on the injury front. Defensive end Nick Bosa, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and rookie defensive lineman James Thompson are all pushing to return for Monday night’s home game against the Washington Commanders, though Shanahan cautioned that their returns are still questionable at best.
“We know he has got a chance,” Shanahan said of Bosa. “Him, Kyle Juszczyk, and James Thompson are all kind of in the same boat. They all have got a chance, but definitely not saying they are good to go right now. We have to continue to evaluate them throughout the week, and it will take all week, but hopefully they can get there.”
With Samuel out of commission, the 49ers have only four healthy wideouts on the active roster. Shanahan said he expects to activate one of the three practice-squad receivers — Malik Turner, Xavier Smith, or Will Pauling — for game day Monday, but noted general manager John Lynch’s staff will keep an eye on outside options.
“Anytime you lose this number of guys, whether it is four guys or five guys, whatever it is, it is a huge challenge,” Shanahan said. “But we do have guys in this building who can do it, and we will always look.”
The 49ers have an extra day of rest before hosting the Commanders on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium, but a brutal scheduling quirk awaits right behind it: a cross-country flight for a 10 a.m. PT kickoff against the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday in Week 7. With the NFL trade deadline set for Nov. 10, the Niners could be best suited to aggressively hunt for outside help sooner rather than latter.