Kyle Shanahan Singled Out for San Francisco 49ers' Injury Issues

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for On SI, Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

Matthew Schmidt

Contributing Sports Writer

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The San Francisco 49ers were absolutely ravaged by injuries last season, which played a massive role in their disappointing 6-11. And once again this summer, the 49ers are once again experiencing medical issues.

So, what is the reason behind San Francisco’s inability to stay healthy? Is there a deeper problem here?

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Well, Matt Barrows of The Athletic identified what he feels is the reason for the Niners’ constant injury problems, and he thinks it may be Kyle Shanahan’s rough coaching style.

Kyle Shanahan Singled Out for San Francisco 49ers' Injury Issues — Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, at Levi’s Stadium on December 12, 2024 in Santa Clara, California….Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

“I don’t think there’s any question, however, that the 49ers practice harder and faster than most NFL teams, including in training camp,” Barrows wrote. “… Kyle Shanahan wants his players accustomed to the speed and intensity required in the regular season. He wants players to build what he calls “a callus” during training camp. Achieving that callus comes with a cost. That, at least, is my theory on why they have so many injuries each summer — they’re being pushed harder than most teams.”

It’s important to note that Barrows isn’t necessarily saying that Shanahan’s strategy is a bad thing. Heck, it worked in 2023 when the 49ers made it all the way to the Super Bowl. But there is no doubt that holding such intense practices has its downsides.

San Francisco had arguably the most talented roster on paper heading into 2024, but the Niners were never able to get anything going consistently last year due to so many of their top players being sidelined.

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The 49ers also subtracted some key pieces over the past several months, so they have absolutely lost a decent chunk of their shine since last fall. Perhaps they really did miss their window two years ago. Or maybe they are on the verge of a bounceback in 2025?

Regardless, San Francisco obviously needs to stay healthy in order to produce any type of revenge campaign this coming season.

For more on the 49ers and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.

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