Right tackle Trent Brown has been dealing with a lingering shoulder injury for nearly a month. After missing last week’s game against the Texans, the 49ers have decided to place Brown on injured reserve and allow him to have season-ending surgery, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. Shanahan said the recovery will take 5-6 months.
Brown injured the shoulder during practice on Thanksgiving and has been in and out of the lineup ever since. Guard Zane Beadles will take over for Brown as the team’s starting right tackle this weekend against the Titans. The switch could be bad news for new starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, as Beadles has struggled all season, including last week against the Texans.
Brown, 24, has been the second most effective member of the 49ers’ offensive line behind fellow tackle Joe Staley this season according to Pro Football Focus. Brown was a seventh-round pick in 2015 out of Florida, and started all 16 games at right-tackle in 2016. This offseason, the Broncos’ Von Miller said Brown is the best right tackle in the NFL.
Brown is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019.
