The San Francisco 49ers paid a lot of money to bring in running back Jerick McKinnon this past offseason, but his availability for the start of the season seems to be in doubt after suffering what’s being reported as a “concerning injury” during practice on Saturday.
#49ers RB Jerick McKinnon suffered what appeared to be a concerning injury during team workout today, sources tell @MikeGarafolo and me. Not good.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2018
At this point, there are no specific details about what happened, but Matt Barrows of The Athletic also reported the injury “did not look good.”
No details from the team yet but source said injury "did not look good." If McKinnon can't play vs. Vikings, Matt Breida, Alfred Morris obviously would have bigger roles. Kyle Shanahan to have cut-down con call at 1:05 p.m. https://t.co/gch3MnYStr
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 1, 2018
In four seasons with Minnesota, McKinnon totaled 2,902 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was signed in San Francisco with the expectation of taking on a featured role in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
If serious, this injury means the 49ers will be leaning heavily on recent free agent addition Alfred Morris, along with second-year back Matt Breida, until McKinnon is available.