Questions Need to Arise Regarding Constant Injuries on the 49ers

Injuries are piling up once again for the San Francisco 49ers.

Injuries are piling up once again for the San Francisco 49ers.

What was hoped to be just pure bad luck in 2020 is starting to leak into 2021. 

Tarvarius Moore (torn Achilles) and Justin Skule (torn ACL) are the latest players to be struck by significant injuries. These two join Jeff Wilson Jr. (torn meniscus) on the injury list, which is starting to be a genuine concern. It does not matter if these players are not starters or impactful role players. There has been a constant theme of injuries with the 49ers since Kyle Shanahan took over, especially in the past two years.

Questions need to arise regarding the constant injuries on the 49ers.

This is more than just bad luck at this point. The 49ers are always plagued by injuries more than any other team. It is ridiculous to just keep shrugging this off as just bad luck or not thinking there is something deeply rooted here. It is tough to say exactly what it is, especially since practices are closed off to the media following warmups and team drills. 

But the point is there needs to be some serious questions being asked. Is it an issue with the field of the 49ers? It would not be the first time this has happened. Dee Ford, Jalen Hurd, and Jerick McKinnon each suffered serious injuries on that practice field recently. Now Moore and Skule join them. 

Perhaps it is the speed at which the 49ers practice, which that would be the fault of Shanahan. Maybe he forces his players to go full-speed all the time? Or maybe he doesn't have proper control of his players to get them to lighten their foot on the gas pedal?

There is also the discussion regarding the strength and conditioning staff. The 49ers believed that was the issue by firing and hiring a brand new one within the last few years, but that clearly hasn't made an impact. It is not out of the realm of possibility that this new staff is still inadequate, which again would be laid at the feet of Shanahan. 

The 49ers have gone as far as to change the way they grade draft prospects by factoring in injuries more heavily. According to John Lynch, that is what he and the team are hoping will help reduce injuries for the future. While a large part of their injuries on the team is due to older players or already injury prone players, that does not excuse them for the injuries of so many others without that background.

There is a lot to debunk here and theorize on, but one thing is for certain: the 49ers need to self-assess the way they conduct practices. Whether it is better playing conditions or lighter workload, something needs to be done to figure out why these freak injuries are so common in their ranks.