Jalen Hurd may have torn ACL, 49ers’ wide receiver nightmares continue
By John Buhler
Jalen Hurd shows it’s a rough time to be San Francisco 49ers wide receiver.
It’s not looking good for Jalen Hurd and the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver corps.
According to Mike Garafolo of The NFL Network, “49ers WR Jalen Hurd is undergoing an MRI this morning after suffering what’s believed to be a major knee injury in practice yesterday, sources tell me and [Ian Rapoport]. The fear is the test will reveal a torn ACL. Test will tell full story.” Injuries are a part of football, but the receiving corps is the last place the 49ers needed to suffer one.
#49ers WR Jalen Hurd is undergoing an MRI this morning after suffering what’s believed to be a major knee injury in practice yesterday, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The fear is the test will reveal a torn ACL. Test will tell full story.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 17, 2020
How will the 49ers address their on-going wide receiver concerns?
If Hurd is out for the season with a torn ACL, it would be yet another devastating blow for the 49ers’ receiving corps. Hurd originally played running back for the Tennessee Volunteers in college before transferring to the Baylor Bears to become a wide receiver. The guy worked his tail off to switch positions and become an NFL player as a wideout. Now, he might have to sit out 2020.
San Francisco saw veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders leave for the New Orleans Saints in his free agency. Travis Benjamin opted out of the 2020 NFL season and the team’s new No. 1 wide receiver Deebo Samuel has to start the year on the non-football injury list due to a leg injury he suffered back in the spring. This receiving corps was thin and looks to be even thinner.
If there is good news to potentially offset what might be a season-ending injury for Hurd, it is the following. San Francisco has tremendous depth along the defensive line, as that’s what catapulted the 49ers all the way to Super Bowl 54 last year. They have the best all-around tight end in the NFL in George Kittle and every Kyle Shanahan-coached team can run the football with conviction.
Next. NFL: 5 best bets to be NFC Wild Card teams in 2020. dark
In short, the 49ers weren’t going to win big with their receiving corps in 2020 anyway. They also have a first-round pick in the receiving room in former Arizona State standout in Brandon Aiyuk. Even though he’s a rookie, the 49ers need him to rack up close to 750 yards in the receiving corps right away. How Aiyuk plays as a rookie will go a long way in how the 49ers offset Hurd’s injury.
Cluster injuries at one position group are never good, even for the defending NFC champions.