The 49ers, with less than a month to go before the start of the regular season, continue to deal with injury woes at the receiver position. On Sunday, first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk left practice with an apparent hamstring issue, according to ESPN's Field Yates. Aiyuk was seen grabbing the back of his left leg after running a deep route, according to NBC's Matt Maiocco.
San Francisco was already dealing with injuries to receivers Deebo Samuel, Jalen Hurd, and Richie James. Samuel, who amassed 962 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns during his rookie season, is still recovering from surgery following a fractured foot that he sustained back in June. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is cautiously optimistic that Samuel won't miss much time once the regular season begins.
"I think we're hoping for Week 1," Shanahan said earlier this month. "Not counting on it, but I think that's kind of the area that these injuries usually heal by … Deebo's going to do everything he can to be in shape, which it's hard to be in football shape before you can play football. So, how many practices do we get him in here before Arizona. So that's going to all go into play. I'm hoping for Week 1, but not sure yet. It's a little too early."
Hurd, a third-round pick in the 2019, will miss his second consecutive season after suffering a torn ACL earlier this month. A back injury sidelined Hurd – a former standout for the University of Tennessee -- for the duration of his rookie season.
James, a three-year veteran, is currently on the active/non-football injury list as he continues to recover from a broken wrist. While he is expected to move to the reserve/PUP list before Week 1, Shanahan says he does not expect James to be available when the 49ers kick off the season against the Cardinals.
To help cope with their rash of injuries, the 49ers recently signed veteran receivers J.J. Nelson and Tavon Austin. A veteran entering his sixth year, Nelson spent his first four seasons in Arizona before playing with the Raiders in 2019. Austin, the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft, spent his first five seasons with the Rams before serving as a backup receiver for the Cowboys each of the past two seasons.
"I liked both of them coming out of college," Shanahan said about Nelson and Austin. "We've liked them in all of their (NFL) stops ... We needed to get more guys in just for legs, but the fact that we got two guys in who have the ability to make our roster, who could have roles on this team with both of their skill assets, made me very excited to get them."
Aiyuk wasn't the only 49ers player who sustained an apparent injury on Sunday. Dee Ford, a veteran defensive end, left practice early after sustaining an apparent lower body injury. Offensive lineman Ross Reynolds was reportedly carted off the field after suffering an apparent leg injury.
The 49ers are expecting big things out of Aiyuk, who caught 65 passes for 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns during his final season at Arizona State.
"I've been real impressed with him, just being around him," Shanahan recently said of Aiyuk, the 25th overall pick in this year's draft. "He was very impressive on the Zoom meetings, just his attention to detail. Since we've gotten here, just going through these walk-throughs and stuff, you can tell he knows how to practice like a pro. You can tell he comes prepared every day. He's not a guy you have to teach how to act, or teach how important it is to learn this stuff. You can tell he understood that before he got here.
"Since we've been around him, you can tell he's been working. That's why he's further ahead than, I think, other rookies at this time."
