The San Francisco 49ers may go into 49ers game today against the Atlanta Falcons short of the usual 48-man game-day roster, a problem Kyle Shanahan said he has never had to manage in his coaching career. The shortage is tied to a wave of injuries that left San Francisco with multiple players unavailable for Sunday’s Week 7 game.
Mike Evans was out with a sore Achilles, Nick Bosa was out with a calf injury, and Ricky Pearsall, Deebo Samuel Sr., De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson were also unable to go on Sunday. Marques Sigle, Garret Wallow and Luke Gifford were ruled out for Week 7 as well. That is the kind of injury list that turns a game plan into a moving target, especially against an Atlanta Falcons team arriving in Week 7 while the 49ers were still undefeated.
Shanahan said the team may not be able to get to the maximum 48 players, calling it “a unique situation” and adding, “I don’t think ever in my career [has that happened].” He said the 49ers had talked about preparing some players to line up outside their usual positions because of the injuries, but even that may not solve the roster math. Teams can elevate practice-squad players when they are thin, but Shanahan did not sound convinced that would be enough to reach 48.
Christian Kirk was in line to make his season debut Sunday after coming off injured reserve, which gives San Francisco at least one possible addition at a position that was already thin before kickoff. But the bigger concern was not just who could play; it was how the 49ers could cover all the spots if the numbers do not add up. That is what makes this game different from a normal injury report. It is not only about who is out. It is about whether San Francisco can build a functioning roster at all.
There was also a quieter wrinkle inside the Bosa situation. Bosa had recently said he hoped to return for Week 5 or Week 6, but Shanahan said the 49ers kept him out of practice to give him extra recovery time after the pass rusher worked out and was sore the next day. Shanahan said he thought Bosa was “a little too optimistic,” and that the soreness was not a good sign with turf coming into play. For a team already juggling injuries, that left San Francisco choosing caution over the short-term optimism its best defender had voiced.
For the 49ers, the immediate question is not whether they can keep the unbeaten start alive, but whether they can put together a game-day group that fits the rules and still leaves enough healthy bodies to survive Sunday. If they cannot get to 48, Shanahan may have to spend the day solving roster arithmetic as much as he is solving Atlanta’s defense.
