The 49ers are dealing with a slew of significant injuries after Sunday night’s loss to the Denver Broncos. They could be without starters Trent Williams and Azeez Al-Shaair for a significant stretch of games.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call with reporters said Williams has a high ankle sprain that could keep him out between four and six weeks, although he expressed some uncertainty when asked about a specific timeframe for Williams’ return.
“No, the swelling’s pretty bad,” Shanahan said. “So high-ankles are usually, just for everyone, they say four-to-six, but sometimes it can be sooner and sometimes it can be longer. So that’s why I didn’t give an exact date, too early to tell.”
It would be significant for San Francisco if they were able to get Williams back in just four weeks. Replacing him won’t be easy, and their schedule gets tougher down the stretch. If the 49ers are going to make a run similar to last year’s, it will require Williams to be in the lineup and playing well.
The Al-Shaair injury is an MCL sprain according to Shanahan. He got hurt when Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson fell into him late in the game.
Shanahan said the injury is similar to the one 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell sustained, so the expectation is Al-Shaair will also be out six-to-eight weeks.
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles was the first LB off the bench Sunday night. He figures to continue filling in at the Sam LB spot as long as Al-Shaair is out.
Another more minor injury Shanahan announced was a rib issue for tight end Ross Dwelley. He’s day-to-day.
