Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Kyle Shanahan Hints at Potential Signings amidst Injury Worries for the San Francisco 49ers

Injury worries put the 49ers on the backfoot

Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Just one game into the new season, and the San Francisco 49ers are once again staring at severe injury concerns. The latest to be affected are starting quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, who both suffered injuries in their week 1 game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Purdy is currently dealing with two injuries, one to his left shoulder and the other to his toe. The initial reports indicated that the fourth-year signal caller would be questionable to play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but the latest update from head coach Kyle Shanahan offers more insight on the matter as he told the media that Purdy would be a “longshot” to play in week 2.

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Brock Purdy could miss “multiple weeks” and that he is a “long shot” to play Sunday at New Orleans. 49ers QB Mac Jones is in line to start. https://t.co/Wp7v5tlIvU
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 10, 2025

Tight end George Kittle, meanwhile, is suffering from a hamstring injury and has been placed on IR by the 49ers. As a result, he is set to miss a minimum of four games and could even extend beyond that depending upon his recovery.

San Francisco 49ers Exploring the Market for New QB and TE

The main concern for coach Shanahan now is finding new players in the market to fill the roster. While former Patriots quarterback Mac Jones will be given the nod for the upcoming game against the Saints, the 49ers will need to bring in another player at the position. And with Kittle set to miss multiple weeks, the 49ers will turn to backup tight ends Luke Farrell or Jake Tonges at least for the time being.

When asked about whether the team is looking for new players at the quarterback and tight end positions following the recent injuries, Shanahan expressed that they would “like” to bring in new players at both positions, but he is not sure if they can do so.

George Kittle (hamstring) will be out a few weeks, per Kyle Shanahan. pic.twitter.com/pISRKidELY
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2025

These latest injuries are more concerning since San Francisco is still without the services of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is recovering from his ACL and MCL injury from last season. Injury problems have plagued the 49ers for the past couple of years, and the new season has not started out too well for them either.

However, the one positive thing they can look at is their strength of schedule, which is the easiest among all teams for this season. The 49ers will be facing the Saints, Cardinals, Jaguars, Rams, and the Buccaneers in their next 5 games, a schedule that is manageable if they remain healthy.

Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Brock Purdy

george kittle

NFL

San Francisco 49ers

Devavrat Kulkarni

nfl

I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!