The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with so many injuries as they prepare for Week 2 of the preseason and a date with the Las Vegas Raiders that it's sometimes hard to keep up with the slew of transactions general manager John Lynch and Co. have had to make, simply to keep the 90-man roster stocked.
Just days before they square off against Vegas, the Niners inked two defensive linemen, William Bradley-King and Demone Harris. To make room, San Francisco placed offensive lineman Andre Dillard on injured reserve and waived recently signed defensive lineman Michael Dwumfour.
Both Bradley-King and Harris are traditional edge-rushing types, and they figure to get ample preseason time between now and the regular season.
OK, so this likely points to some concern about 49ers rookie defensive end Mykel Williams, who is dealing with a knee injury and might not be cleared in time for Week 1.
But, there's another concerning injury that hasn't exactly graced headlines as of late.
Yetur Gross-Matos' injury absence is becoming more of a concern
Granted, he's a reserve pass-rusher, and his role on the defense is even less clear after the Niners drafted Williams last April and then subsequently traded with the New York Jets for Bryce Huff.
That said, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos was primed for a key rotational role on the depth chart after flashing some impressive moments late last season after returning from a knee injury suffered during the 2024 preseason, finishing the year with four sacks and seven quarterback hits over 11 games played.
Potentially a cut candidate in light of San Francisco's grand-sweeping offseason changes, Gross-Matos nevertheless stayed put, suggesting he'd play at least a modest role in a revamped defensive line.
However, further knee issues resulted in him landing on the physically unable-to-perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp, and there doesn't appear to be any indication he'll return soon.
So, in light of the 49ers' latest two additions, perhaps Gross-Matos' health and subsequent return off the PUP list isn't imminent, as Niners Nation's Kyle Posey hinted at:
"The team officially announced the signing of William Bradley-King and Demone Harris, a pair of defensive linemen the team worked out on Wednesday. The 49ers’ continued pursuit of defensive linemen suggests that Yetur Gross-Matos may not be as close to returning from injury as initially thought."
Granted, Posey mentioned the two roster moves could also relate to Williams' own recovery, but it's safe to say Gross-Matos' absence is being felt.
Judging by how aggressive San Francisco has been at pursuing different defensive linemen over the past couple of weeks, that absence and subsequent ramifications might be bigger than originally thought.
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