49ers get a Sigh of Relief With Danny Gray Along With Reinforcements

Danny Gray exited Saturday's preseason game versus the Broncos early.

He was ruled out with a shoulder injury that occurred when he was tackled. Initially, it was feared Gray could be out for a significant amount of time with a broken collarbone. Fortunately, the 49ers get a sigh of relief with Gray.

"Danny Gray has a right SC joint sprain, no fracture, but we're still evaluating his timeline," said Kyle Shanahan on a conference call. "We were worried it was a broken collarbone, which is usually about eight weeks. But, it's still a pretty bad injury. It's no break, which is good, but it's similar to what George Odum's dealing with. So, it's still not great news, but it's better than a break.”

It's still a bummer that Gray is out for some time with an injury, but the fact he avoided a broken bone is great news. One that is enough to grant the 49ers a sigh of relief. To add to that relief is that the 49ers will be receiving some reinforcements. Several key players who were nursing injuries are slated to return to the field.

"Guys we expect to get back at some time this week for practice is [DL] Kalia Davis, [LB Dre] Greenlaw, [DL] Drake Jackson, [DT Javon] Kinlaw, [TE George] Kittle and [RB] Elijah [Mitchell]," revealed Shanahan.

So, the 49ers get relieving news with Gray and will get back a handful of players to the field. I'd considered that a win for them. The same can be said for some of the fringe wide receivers. Gray now joins Ray-Ray McCloud as a receiver who will miss time. That now elevates the status of a receiver or two to make the team. It's gonna be all about who can maximize their opportunity.

“I think we’ve got a good group of depth to be ready for this opportunity," said Shanahan of the receiver room. "So, they've been battling. I do think we’ve got a good mix of some veteran guys, having guys like Conley and [WR] Willie [Snead IV] which are guys who have played in this league and are very reliable. And we’ve also got some young guys who've been around here and stuff and we've been working with for at least a year. So, a lot of guys are ready for this opportunity."

One receiver who has been maximizing their opportunity is rookie Ronnie Bell. If he was on the bubble before the game against Denver, then he is certainly making the team now after it. He performed incredibly well and now has a stronger chance to make the team with the couple of receivers who are out. Now he just needs to keep connecting these incredible performances together to separate himself.

Who else will take advantage of the opportunity?