Coming off an embarrassing 30-9 defeat to the Denver Broncos in the preseason opener for both teams over the weekend, San Francisco 49ers head coach met with the media on Monday and addressed several topics, one of which was the health of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
It's no secret that the Niners are having all sorts of injury issues at wideout. So, getting Aiyuk, who tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee last October in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, back on the field as soon as possible is obviously a big deal as the start of the regular season inches closer.
But that's simply not going to happen anytime soon. Shanahan addressed the status of the 2023 All-Pro wideout, while also updating the statuses of second-year safety Malik Mustapha and rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who are also recovering from torn ACLs.
"I kind of view all those guys around the same time, whether it’s Mustapha, whether it’s Rourke, or whether it’s Brandon,” Shanahan said. “I always see them around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, it could be Week 5, but that’s the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long ways away. I know it’s not Week 1 or anything like that, so it’s something I’m not really thinking about too much."
That's about as vague as one can get, as Shanahan obviously failed to offer up any sort of definitive return date for any of them.
Brandon Aiyuk seems destined to start the regular season on the PUP list
What Shanahan's statement does do, however, is line up with the NFL's rules in regard to the PUP list. If Aiyuk starts the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, which clearly seems to be the path that will be taken, he's required to sit out at least the 49ers' first four games, hence the mention of Week 5.
From that point, he'd have through Week 9 to return to practice and another 21 days to be elevated to the main roster. And if that doesn't happen, he'd be required to remain on the reserve list for the rest of the season.
The Niners are obviously hoping for Aiyuk to return sooner rather than later, given what's happening in the wide receiver room at the moment.
While rookie Jordan Watkins had a solid performance against the Broncos, he's now expected to miss the next month with a high ankle sprain. Jauan Jennings has been dealing with a calf injury, and there's still the matter of his contract situation to worry about.
Then, of course, there's Demarcus Robinson, who's expected to receive a three-game suspension stemming from a DUI charge. Jacob Cowing is expected to return to practice on Tuesday, but we'll have to wait and see how his injured hamstring has progressed.
Thankfully, Ricky Pearsall is healthy, but it can't be ignored that he started training camp on the PUP list. Truth be told, the only receiver who really hasn't had any issues thus far is Russell Gage. But his injury history certainly can't be ignored either, nor can the fact that he hasn't taken a regular-season snap since 2022.
One has to wonder if the 49ers are missing Deebo Samuel right about now.
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