As was the case all throughout last season, the San Francisco 49ers are already riddled with injuries as their Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints approaches.
Star tight end George Kittle left Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks early with a hamstring injury. He was placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four games.
Quarterback Brock Purdy has shoulder and toe ailments and will sit out at least the next two games. Now, another key offensive player is banged up.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings has a hurt shoulder, and as a result, he missed practice on Thursday for the second day in a row.
Jennings emerged last season as a big threat in San Francisco’s passing game. In three seasons prior to that, he had been used sparingly as a pass-catcher, but in 2024, he had 77 receptions, 975 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
He had just two catches and 16 yards on Sunday, but with Brandon Aiyuk still out after his knee injury last October, he is still someone the team badly needs to be available moving forward.
With Kittle out and Jennings compromised, the 49ers will have to look more on offense to not only running back Christian McCaffrey but also wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
McCaffrey came into Week 1 with a calf issue and was listed as questionable, but he played, and he mostly looked like his old All-Pro self. He ran for 69 yards on 22 carries and added 73 receiving yards on nine receptions.
Pearsall, the Niners’ first-round draft pick a year ago, tallied 108 yards on just four catches. He had a clutch 45-yard catch with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter that helped set up the team’s go-ahead touchdown.
In addition, there is the possibility of seeing the Niners run out Marquez Valdes-Scantling a little more. They acquired him a couple of weeks ago after Seattle waived him, but he wasn’t targeted once in Week 1 versus Seattle.
After playing New Orleans this Sunday, the 49ers will have their 2025 home opener on Sept. 21 versus the Arizona Cardinals and host the Jacksonville Jaguars a week later. They will then have a short rest period before visiting the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Oct. 2.
