Defensive ends Yetur Gross-Matos and Leonard Floyd were able to avoid serious knee injuries in the 49ers' final preseason game, coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday.
Gross-Matos' condition is being assessed “week to week,” while Floyd's is being assessed “day to day,” Shanahan said in a conference call with Bay Area reporters.
Shanahan said he did not believe Gross-Matos' injury was serious enough to allow him to begin the season on the injured list, which would mean he would have to sit out the first four games of the 2024 NFL season.
“We'll see how this week goes and hopefully he'll have a chance to return to practice in Week 1,” Shanahan said of Gross-Matos. “But we haven't mentioned anything about IR.”
The 49ers open the season on Monday, September 9 against the New York Jets, and Floyd is expected to be in the starting lineup.
In other injury news, the 49ers expect rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall to return to practice on Monday, which is expected to put him in a position to be ready for the regular season opener.
However, Shanahan said safety Talanoa Hufanga could start the season on the bench/would not be physically able to perform, meaning he would have to sit out the first four games of the season.
Hufanga has not yet been able to participate in training after tearing his ACL in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in November.
Linebacker Dee Winters has suffered an ankle injury and will likely miss some practice. When Shanahan spoke to reporters, the 49ers had not yet received the results of Winters' MRI scan.
Floyd and Gross-Matos both left the 49ers' preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday night in the first quarter due to right knee injuries.
Gross-Matos played just four snaps, while Floyd was on the field for six plays. Floyd pressured Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman on a third-and-2 play in the first quarter, stopping him for a 1-yard gain to force a punt.
The 49ers have high hopes that Floyd and Gross-Matos will provide the necessary improvements to the 49ers defensive line this season.
Floyd, 31, is entering his ninth NFL season with his fourth different team. After recording 18.5 sacks in his first four years with the Chicago Bears, Floyd totaled 39.5 sacks in his last four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.
The 49ers signed Floyd to a two-year, $20 million contract in the offseason before landing Gross-Matos for two years and $18 million.
Gross-Matos, 26, played his first four seasons with the Carolina Panthers. Last season, he recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks in just 12 games. He missed a lot of time last season due to a knee injury.
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