49ers wait and see on Nick Bosa after groin injury; Jimmie Ward will have surgery on broken hand, Emmanuel Moseley out for the season with torn ACL.
The 49ers aren’t sure yet as to the extent if Nick Bosa’s groin injury and will take a wait and see approach.
“It’s bothering him today,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said in a conference call Monday. “You always want to use caution, especially with Nick on that stuff. If we practiced today he couldn’t go. I’m hoping he’ll be better throughout the week. It wasn’t feeling great today.”
Groin injuries vary widely in terms of severity. Tight end George Kittle had one toward the end of training camp and missed the first two games of the season, although the 49ers publicly held out hope he could play in those games.
Bosa’s brother Joey, a defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers, had a groin injury on Sept. 28 that required surgery. He will be out eight to 10 weeks with a chance to return before the season is over.
Meanwhile, safety Jimmie Ward and cornerback Emmauel Moseley are both scheduled for surgery. Ward will have surgery Tuesday for a broken hand and could return at some point. Moseley is done for the season with a torn ACL.
Ward missed the first four games on injured reserve with a hamstring strain, only to return and be injured on the opening kickoff.
“He didn’t want to accept it was broken so he stayed in there for the next couple of plays,” Shanahan said. “It was unfortunate and hopefully the surgery will go well and he’ll be able to come back and help us. It’s just a bad break he got.”
Shanahan didn’t rule out Ward returning at some point with a protective cast.
“There is a chance, we’ll see how the surgery goes, and see if he could do that,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan hasn’t had a chance to talk with Moseley, who is in a contract year, but said he wants him back in 2023.
“He’s been away today,” Shanahan said. “I know he knows how I feel. I’ve told him that before. It was a real sad, unfortunate thing that happened to him. He was playing his ass off too. (I) really, really hope to have him back next year.”
Initially, Moseley’s spot at cornerback could be assumed by rookie Samuel Womack III, second-year player Ambry Thomas or veteran Dontae Johnson, who is currently on the practice squad.
“We’ll figure it out this week but we haven’t made up our minds yet,” Shanahan said.
Ideally, the 49ers get Jason Verrett up to speed and back to his 2020 form, where he was a standout or 13 games. With only one full practice under his belt after recovering from a torn ACL in the 2021 season opener, that sounds as if it is a ways off.
“If Verrett is good to go, he’s a big time corner,” Shanahan said. “If he gets practice reps and can get out there and be fully healed and get back into game shape and be ready to go, he’ll end up being our guy.”
Shanahan said the 49ers will be looking at some kickers this week in West Virginia after place kicker Robbie Gould couldn’t continue against Atlanta with a left knee contusion sustained while covering a kickoff.
In other injury news, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir has a wrist injury and running back Jeff Wilson Jr. a shoulder contusion that shouldn’t impact their availability for Sunday’s road game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The 49ers are already expected to be without defensive tackles Arik Armstead (feet, ankle) and Jason Kinlaw (knee) against Atlanta. Armstead was inactive against Carolina while Kinlaw has missed the last two games.
The 49ers are remaining on the East Coast, practicing in The Greenbrier resort on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The artificial turf issue
Tight end George Kittle voiced displeasure with the lack of uniformity in artificial turf surfaces. Shanahan stopped short of that, but did say he appreciates all the 49ers do to make sure they have a grass field in a facility that is home to other events as well.
“We have concerts in our stadium all the time,” Shanahan said. “Elton John played there this weekend and I just love that we always get grass. It’s always new and they always resod it. I know you have to do some extra stuff to get it done, but I can’t tell you how big a difference that makes for us that we don’t have to deal with that stuff in our stadium.”
Shanahan had no explanation for the rash of injuries the 49ers have incurred, considering it the price of doing business.
“I think it happens to other teams too,” Shanahan said. “It’s a challenge. You hope to have better luck.”
The Carolina aftermath
After the one-sided loss to the 49ers, head coach Matt Rhule, defensive coordinator Phil Snow and special teams assistant Ed Foley were all fired by the 1-4 Panthers. Rhule finished with an 11-27 record.
“We all compete against each other but we all relate to each other a ton,” Shanahan said. “The whole staff, their families, it puts a lot of stuff up in the air . . . it’s what you sign up for but you also know how tough it is. I’ve got a lot of respect for Matt. I know he’ll land on his feet and I hope he finds a better situation for him.”
