In 2023, the 49ers were able to enjoy the luxury of some very good injury luck for almost the entirety of the campaign. Aside from Talanoa Hufanga suffering a season ending torn ACL and Dre Greenlaw infamously rupturing his Achilles jogging onto the field in the Super Bowl, the Niners’ most important pieces stayed on the field. That’s been far from the case in 2024.
Not only is superstar running back Christian McCaffrey still out and shrouded in uncertainty, George Kittle and Fred Warner are also listed as questionable heading into a pivotal matchup with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Kittle’s been sidelined for a game already, but Warner’s ailment is a new one, an ankle injury suffered in the second half of last week’s convincing victory over New England.
Kyle Shanahan joined Tolbert and Copes on Thursday afternoon and provided an update on the status of Kittle and Warner.
In the event that Warner isn’t able to go, the Niners may turn to rookie linebacker Tatum Bethune to take his place. While any alternative to Warner is an obvious downgrade, the 49ers are high on the intangibles of the rookie Bethune. John Lynch joined Murph and Markus for his usual spot on Friday morning and expressed how confident he and Shanahan would be if Bethune would have to quarterback the defense.
There will come a time when Brandon Aiyuk’s performance, contract, and practice behavior are no longer a hot topic, but that time is not now. Lynch was asked about Aiyuk’s slow start to the season after inking a big time contract prior to week one. As everyone inside the organization has expressed, Lynch is supremely confident in Aiyuk’s ability to return to his 2023 form sooner than later.
The next man up mentality has been a strength for San francisco through its first four games. No one has embodied that sentiment more than Jordan Mason. He’s filled in admirably for McCaffrey, leading the NFL in carries through four weeks. Mason has been more than adequate, but is this workload sustainable? Larry Krueger and John Dickinson discussed the back’s workload on Wednesday night’s Niners Nightly on KNBR.
Defensive player of the month snub?
Almost beyond a shadow of a doubt, Fred Warner has been the most impactful defensive player in the NFC through the season’s first four weeks. It was Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson, however, who was named the conference’s defensive player of the month earlier this week. You decide.