San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch gave updates on the team’s wide receiver injuries and discussed how the organization is addressing challenges as the preseason continues. The 49ers have experienced several setbacks at the position, with multiple players sidelined.
Lynch addressed Brandon Aiyuk’s recovery following serious knee injuries: “I think we feel comfortable saying he’s not going to be there Week 1, and then, it will probably be some time after that.” He added, “He’s recovered well.” Lynch declined to give an exact timeline for Aiyuk’s return but said, “I’m not going to put exact timelines, but hopefully, sometime in this season, he’s playing the type of football we know, when he’s out there, that he is expected to, and expects himself to play at. And it’ll be a big boost to our team.”
Regarding Russell Gage’s injury status after a reported MCL sprain, Lynch recounted the incident: “That’s one of those ones, we were out at practice, we were doing 1-on-1s, and at first, I thought he had his ankle. It looked like it buckled. I think, given what I saw on the field — Russell’s been having a really good camp — and I was standing with Kyle [Shanahan] right when it happened, and we just said, ‘Oh, no,’ because it looked like his leg buckled.” He continued: “So, I think a slight MCL sprain was actually welcome news. He will miss some time. We expect him to be ready for our opener (…), it’s not ideal — but it’s better than the alternative with what we saw. But he’s working through that.”
Discussing Demarcus Robinson’s three-game suspension and its impact on preparations for the start of the season, Lynch explained: “We’ll be respectful of that, and when the league makes their final determination, everybody will know right along with us. I think we’re at the stage of it, and you guys will know when we will know.”
Lynch described how thin the roster has become due to these setbacks: “With Aiyuk being on PUP, we started with 13 guys. And now, we’re down to — at one point yesterday, I think we had seven out there.” He offered thoughts on balancing practice intensity with health concerns: “There is a way to keep guys healthy, and that’s to do nothing. But we want to get better. We’ll have enough guys come Week 1 to put a formidable group out there.”
In evaluating possible contributors such as Robbie Chosen amid roster changes during training camp and preseason games Lynch stated: “Robbie’s done a nice job, been a welcome surprise. He can still get it. He can still run. The beauty today — we never had it — but these guys wear GPS things on their back (…). And he’s starting to make some plays (…) As long as he continues to do that (…), there’s a place for him.”
Despite adversity facing his team entering the new NFL season Lynch concluded: “Now, we’ve got to keep the guys who we have healthy. We’ve got to find a way to get from here to there. But that’s what our calling is. That’s what our job is. So (,…)we’ll do it(,… )and we’ll figure out a way(,… )and we’re going to be all right.”
