The San Francisco 49ers released two running backs as part of final roster cuts on Saturday, but they could soon be on the lookout for help at that position.
Starting running back Jerick McKinnon will miss the entire 2018 season after suffering a torn ACL at a team workout earlier in the day, according to multiple reports.
Addressing the media after the workout, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Saturday afternoon that the 49ers were "nervous" about a knee injury that McKinnon suffered on the last play of the day, adding that the big-ticket free agent addition was set to undergo an MRI. Now, however, the results appear to be out, and they don't bode well.
Multiple media outlets had echoed Shanahan's concern, suggesting McKinnon had an "awkward" landing and that San Francisco was "concerned" about losing the former Minnesota Vikings reserve for an extended time:
#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
“We hope that we’re wrong,” Kyle Shanahan said. But there is definitely concern that Jerick McKinnon sustained an ACL injury today.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 1, 2018
#49ers RB Jerick McKinnon made a cut on the last play of practice, nobody around him and went down. Shanahan says team is concerned about it. "Something with a knee, we'll find out later. We're nervous about it, that's for sure."
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 1, 2018
A backup with the Vikings for the first four years of his NFL career, the 26-year-old McKinnon signed with the Niners in free agency and figured to play a prominent role in Shanahan's offense as a dual-threat weapon for Jimmy Garoppolo. His reported four-year, $30-million contract made him one of the NFL's highest-paid running backs this summer.
