49ers place Richard Sherman on injured reserve

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: Richard Sherman #25 of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the field against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The injuries just keep coming for the San Francisco 49ers, with the latest player being the star of their secondary.

Prior to their regular-season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers were hit with injury after injury, specifically on the wide receiver depth chart. Following Week 1, news broke that tight end George Kittle is dealing with a knee sprain after taking a hit from Cardinals safety Budda Baker. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Kittle wasn’t the only star to leave the opening week of the NFL season banged up.

On Wednesday, the 49ers announce that they’ve placed cornerback Richard Sherman on the injured list with a strained calf. Sherman will now miss at least three games, per the league’s altered rules. In a corresponding move, the 49ers promoted cornerback Dontae Johnson from the practice squad.

Just a calf strain for CB Richard Sherman, and a few weeks of rest and rehab… https://t.co/zUTDh3WACy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2020

49ers playing it safe with Sherman

Sherman played all but four snaps in the game, which came on the Cardinals’ final drive as they killed the clock. Given that Sherman has had a history with lower leg injuries, the 49ers opted to play it safe and have him rest for the next three weeks, as they’re not scheduled to play any of their NFC West rivals in that span.

After placing Sherman on the IR, the 49ers revealed that No. 3 cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was moved into concussion protocol. Additionally, Jason Verrett is out with a hamstring injury. So, the 49ers will likely start Emmanuel Moseley and K’Waun Williams from here on out. Not exactly ideal circumstances for the team expecting to make a return trip to the Super Bowl this season.

In the Week 1 matchup, Sherman was targeted four times by Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, but surrendered three catches for 22 yards, per Pro Football Reference. Last year, Sherman allowed 43-of-69 targets for 387 yards and one touchdown.

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While not having Sherman on the field stings for the 49ers, they can take solace in the fact that they have favorable matchups against the New York Jets, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in successive order. If Sherman is deemed healthy after three weeks, he will return to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.