San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had mixed news as he provided injury updates on Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos when speaking to local media on Sunday.
The two defensive ends, both signed with a view to providing Nick Bosa more support and bolstering an outside pass rush that was not as effective as the 49ers would have ideally liked in 2023, each suffered knee sprains in San Francisco's preseason finale with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday.
Shanahan later confirmed they would undergo MRIs to confirm the severity of those injuries, adding that neither was believed to have sustained any ACL damage.
In a conference call two days on from the 49ers' tie with the Raiders, Shanahan described Floyd, likely to start across from Bosa, as day-to-day, indicating he should be able to return in plenty of time before the start of the regular season on September 9.
There was less positive news on Gross-Matos, whom he labeled week-to-week, pointing to a longer recovery for a player who flashed some intriguing upside in preseason and who is viewed as a player who can have a huge impact rushing from the inside as well as off the edge.
Asked about the prospect of placing Gross-Matos on injured reserve, Shanahan replied: "I would not think so, with it just being week-to-week. We'll see how this week goes and hopefully he'll have a chance to get back in practice next week for Week One. But no, they haven't mentioned anything about IR."
Yet the injury to Gross-Matos may well force the 49ers to make at least one move at the edge rusher position, something they probably were already considering due to the lack of options behind Bosa, Floyd and Gross-Matos. Last year's fifth-round pick Robert Beal Jr. did not stand out in preseason, while the 49ers' top pick in 2022, Drake Jackson, has already been ruled out for the year after San Francisco placed him on the reserve/PUP list with the knee injury he sustained last season.
On Saturday, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport raised the prospect of the 49ers trading for an edge rusher on roster cutdown day on Tuesday in the wake of the injuries to Floyd and Gross-Matos.
"The timing is never good," he said in a segment on NFL Network. "You never want this to happen. But the cutdown day, which comes Tuesday, sometimes triggers trades. There are plenty of teams with excess edge help, so if the 49ers need it, still plenty of time to swing a trade."
Gross-Matos' timeline would appear to increase the likelihood of the 49ers aiming to strike such a deal, San Francisco having made trades for two edge rushers last season, acquiring Randy Gregory in October before then landing Chase Young at the trade deadline. Both players left the 49ers in free agency.
The Niners were likely hoping the signings of Floyd and Gross-Matos would eliminate the need to part with more draft capital to fortify the edge position. However, their injuries and a lack of progress from those further down the depth chart might leave San Francisco with little choice.
Shanahan also said the 49ers will make a decision on whether to place All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga on PUP this week. Hufanga has yet to return to practice having torn his ACL last November. The 49ers are awaiting the results of MRI scans on an ankle injury for linebacker Dee Winters.
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