Defensive ends Yetur Gross-Matos and Leonard Floyd avoided significant knee injuries in the 49ers’ final preseason game, coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday.
Gross-Matos is listed as “week to week,” while Floyd is “day to day,” Shanahan said on a conference call with Bay Area reporters.
Shanahan said he did not believe Gross-Matos’ injury is serious enough for him to open the season on injured reserve, which would require him to sit out the first four games of the 2024 NFL regular season.
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“We’ll see how this week goes, and hopefully he’ll have a chance to get back in practice for Week 1,” Shanahan said of Gross-Matos. “But we haven’t mentioned anything about IR.”
The 49ers open the season on Monday, Sept. 9, against the New York Jets, and Floyd is expected to be in the starting lineup.
In other injury news, the 49ers expect rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall to return to practice Monday, which would appear to put him on pace to suit up for the regular-season opener.
However, Shanahan suggested that safety Talanoa Hufanga could open the season on reserve/physically unable to perform. He would be required to miss the first four games of the season.
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Hufanga has yet to return to practice after sustaining a torn ACL against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in November.
Linebacker Dee Winters sustained an ankle injury and is likely to miss some practice time. The 49ers had not yet received the results of Winter’s MRI examination when Shanahan spoke with reporters.
Floyd and Gross-Matos both left the 49ers’ preseason game Friday night against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first quarter due to right knee injuries.
Gross-Matos played just four snaps, while Floyd was on the field for six plays. Floyd got pressure on Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman on a third-and-2 play in the first quarter and stopped him for a 1-yard gain to force a punt.
The 49ers have high hopes for Floyd and Gross-Matos bringing necessary upgrades to the 49ers’ defensive line this season.
Floyd, 31, enters his ninth NFL season with his fourth different team. After registering 18.5 sacks in his first four years with the Chicago Bears, Floyd totaled 39.5 sacks over the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills.
The 49ers signed Floyd to a two-year, $20 million contract in the offseason before landing Gross-Matos on a two-year, $18 million deal.
Gross-Matos, 26, played his first four seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He registered a career-best 4.5 sacks last season in just 12 games. He missed significant time last season due to a knee injury.
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