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SANTA CLARA – This news comes as little surprise. After tearing his ACL on September 1 of last year, Jerick McKinnon could not get healthy. McKinnon had a “flare up” just before camp started which saw him placed on physically unable to perform list. Then, he was taken of PUP, a move which looks rash in hindsight, and came back to practice August 6. After that practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan said McKinnon was dealing with a great deal of soreness, and received a plasma-rich platelet injection in his knee.
When McKinnon came back to practice on Tuesday, this time wearing a knee brace, it failed to get better. General manager John Lynch said on KNBR the results were “not encouraging” and implied he suffered another significant setback. This hinted at a likely injured reserve designation (as opposed to injured reserve-return designation, in which he’d have to make the 53-man roster before being placed there, and be out at least until Week 9).
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the 49ers are expected to place McKinnon on injured reserve, but it’s unclear which list.
The #49ers are expected to place starting RB Jerick McKinnon on Injured Reserve, sources say. What’s not clear is if it’s season-ending or if he could return. His surgically repaired knee had a bit of a flare up, and he may have a procedure to fix the issue.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2019
