At one point in the San Francisco 49ers Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Trenton Cannon was the lone healthy back in the contest. To put this in perspective, Cannon was claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens just four days prior to his first game with his new club.
The 49ers lost three of their top backs in a matter of a quarter. The 49ers had entered Sunday's game already shorthanded at the position with Raheem Mostert (knee) out for the season. Elijah Mitchell left the game after a nullified touchdown in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury and was replaced by JaMycal Hasty on the ensuing drive. On a fumbled handoff, Hasty left the game with an ankle injury following an unnecessary roughness penalty on a late hit from Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett. The next play, Hasty was spelled by rookie running back Trey Sermon, where a hit from Eagles safety K'Von Wallace created a scary scene as the running back suffered a head injury on his first carry of the game.
Even fullback Kyle Juszczyk left the game in the fourth quarter while dealing with leg cramps.
Fortunately, none of the injuries suffered on Sunday were deemed long-term as the 49ers might have dodged a massive bullet to their backfield. Despite the injuries, both Mitchell and Sermon "have a chance" to dress for the 49ers Week 3 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Of the three injuries, Hasty's was ruled the most significant. The running back's high-ankle sprain will likely keep him out for "awhile," per head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Hasty appeared as the 49ers first option behind Mitchell, who was coming off of a 104-yard performance in his NFL debut against the Detroit Lions in place of Mostert. Hasty saw just five carries for 38 yards on Sunday but was involved in the 49ers passing game as the back was second on the team behind Deebo Samuel in targets and receptions in Week 2.
Shanahan said there's a "chance" running back Kerryon Johnson could be activated from the team's practice squad this week. Johnson was a recent addition to the 49ers backfield following the Week 1 loss of Mostert. Shanahan confirmed the team will work out veteran running backs Lamar Miller, Duke Johnson and T.J. Yeldon as they navigate the injuries to their backfield.
In the defensive backfield, Josh Norman, who made his 49ers debut on Sunday suffered an ankle injury and is considered "day-to-day." San Francisco is already relatively thin at cornerback following Jason Verrett's season-ending ACL injury. The team saw encouraging signs from Emmanuel Moseley last week, as the corner was spotted running at practice while dealing with a lingering knee issue. Per Shanahan, the team is hoping to get Moseley back on the field this week.
The 49ers will continue to manage Javon Kinlaw's knee this week. Kinlaw made his season debut against the Eagles after missing Week 1. Shanahan said the defensive lineman felt optimistic coming out of Sunday's game. Fellow defensive lineman Arik Armstead will be limited while working through the same adductor injury as last week.
Kevin Givens left the game in the first quarter and did not return. According to Shanahan, the defensive lineman will be out for awhile with an ankle injury.
The team will resume practice on Wednesday from the SAP Performance Facility in advance of their Week 3 primetime matchup against the Packers.
