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49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel out vs Packers

By Scott Rogust

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 01: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 01: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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The San Francisco 49ers are going to be severely undermanned on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers.

This past week has been nightmarish for the San Francisco 49ers. Earlier this week, the team lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle to longterm injuries. Matters only got worse after the team had to close their facility on Tuesday due to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne testing positive due to COVID-19. While the team is still expected to play on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, their offense will be extremely shorthanded.

According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, left tackle Trent Williams and wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have been placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list as “close contacts” to Bourne. That means they will be unavailable for the Thursday evening matchup.

The hits keep coming for the 49ers

It’s important to note that the 49ers weren’t expecting Samuel to play at all in Week 9 due to a lingering hamstring injury. As for Aiyuk, he was expected to play a heavy role in the offense with Samuel on the sidelines. Now, the first-round selection will not take the field at all, meaning the 49ers will have a receiving corps consisting of Richie James and Trent Taylor.

As for Williams, the plan was for the veteran left tackle to protect the blindside of quarterback Nick Mullens, as Garoppolo is out for the foreseeable future with a high ankle sprain suffered this past Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Justin Skule, the 2019 sixth-round pick, will start in Williams’ place.

The 49ers aren’t the only team that are dealing with COVID-19 issues. The Packers learned on Monday that rookie running back A.J. Dillon tested positive for the coronavirus. On Wednesday, the Packers revealed that fellow running back Jamaal Williams and rookie linebacker Kamal Martin won’t be active for the 49ers game, as they were deemed high-risk close contacts.

Despite the high number of 49ers players heading to the COVID-19 list, the NFL has shown no signs of cancelling Thursday night’s game.

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