A quick turnaround to a Thursday night game is always tricky, even for healthy players. For those coming off injuries over the weekend, the timeline gets even tougher.
The obvious name on the 49ers’ short injury list is Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk suffered a left shoulder injury on his first catch against the Rams on Sunday and is likely to be questionable for Thursday’s home opener against the Giants.
John Lynch joined Murph & Mac on Wednesday and provided an update on the star receiver, suggesting that he will be a game-time decision:
I think with Brandon, with the Thursday night games, they’re quick turnarounds. So he’s clearly got something irritated in his in his chest, shoulder area. He’s working really hard to try to get ready. And with these Thursday night games, you take it all the way down there. You don’t have to make your inactives until on Thursday.
So Brandon’s working really hard. He’s a warrior. You can see it in his play. He’s having fun, because everything’s starting to click for him. So I know he’s a guy who doesn’t want to miss. We clearly won’t put them out there if it’s not in his best interest but I think that situation is very fluid.
Aiyuk was designated as limited on Tuesday, when the 49ers held a pair of walkthroughs. Also limited was corner Ambry Thomas, who is dealing with a knee injury.
With that in mind, and with Samuel Womack on injured reserve and likely to miss upwards of six weeks, the 49ers signed veteran corner Anthony Brown.
Brown was a longtime starter with the Cowboys, who tore his Achilles in Week 13 of last season at the start of December. Lynch discussed how he views Brown at this point, less than a year removed from the injury.
“There’s a reason he was on a practice squad and that was the Achilles injury,” Lynch said. “We liked the fact that he was on a practice squad in Pittsburgh, so he had been getting practice. This is a seven-year starter in our league. We’ve had some injuries with Sammy Womack and Ambry Thomas a little banged up.”
“We’ve been looking for some veteran depth at the cornerback position and to be able to find a former starter at a high level who’s played both outside and inside, gives us a little versatility. It’s a nice find for us at this point in the season. We got to kind of assess where he’s at from a health perspective. He just got here yesterday, and we’re excited about the opportunity to work with him.”
Lynch expanded, saying that as far as Thursday is concerned, “there’s a chance” for Brown to play in a backup role, but “that’s a tall order.” He may be active, but wouldn’t likely be called upon against the Giants unless necessary.
Listen to the full interview above. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Catch Murph & Mac weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on KNBR 104.5 / 680 and streaming live on KNBR.com.
