Jeff Wilson Jr. Out 4-6 Months with Torn Meniscus
Not good news.
The 49ers just suffered their first major blow of the offseason, as running back Jeff Wilson Jr. had surgery recently to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, according to the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, and will miss the next four to six months.
It's unclear when Wilson Jr. sustained the injury. It's possible the injury happened a month ago, before the draft. That would explain why the 49ers drafted two running backs (Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell) and signed a third running back (Wayne Gallman) in a one-week stretch during April. Head coach Kyle Shanahan will address the injury next week when he speaks to the media.
Last season, Wilson Jr. emerged as an impact player in the 49ers offense. He led the team with 10 touchdowns, and established himself as one of the hardest-running tailbacks in the NFL, and a terrific receiver, too. Had he been a regular member of the 49ers' running back rotation two years ago, they might have won the Super Bowl. He's that important.
Now, Wilson Jr. most likely will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform List.
Which means Raheem Mostert most likely will be the starting running back, third-round pick Trey Sermon most likely will be the backup running back, sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell most likely will be the third-string running back and veteran Wayne Gallman most likely will be the fourth-string running back.
Still a good group of backs. And when Wilson Jr. returns, it should be an even better group. But this loss will hurt no matter what.
