It was a simple question, but one 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan simply couldn’t answer at his Monday press conference following a bruising loss in Philadelphia.
“Who’s your left tackle?
“Umm, it’s a good question,” Shanahan said. “I’ll have an answer in the next 24 hours.”
That’s how bad it is for the 49ers right now. The team placed tackle Garry Gilliam on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury. They did the same with free safety Jimmie Ward after he broke his arm in the loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
The 49ers will wait to see how Joe Staley is after he sustained an eye injury on a play in which he was struck by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. He might avoid the season-ending injured reserve
The Ward injury likely ends the Eric Reid experiment at outside linebacker. Shanahan said it’s likely Reid will go back to strong safety and Jaquiski Tarrt will move to free.
It also means the team will likely have to sign players from their practice squad or the street in order to fill out their offensive line in particular.
