SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers banged-up receiving group sustained another loss with promising rookie Jordan Watkins sidelined for about a month with a high ankle sprain.
Watkins had a 50-yard catch in his exhibition debut on Saturday night against Denver when he played 39 snaps in his first game action since being drafted in the fourth round in April.
He didn't feel anything after the game but reported soreness in his ankle on Sunday when the injury was diagnosed.
“We weren’t that worried about it until we got an MRI and it showed a high ankle,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. "So, who knows the date on those, but those usually take about a month to me.”
Watkins had taken advantage of his chances in camp with starters Jauan Jennings (calf) and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) missing time with injuries.
Aiyuk is rehabbing after tearing the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee last season. There is no definitive timeline for Aiyuk's return but Shanahan is hopeful to get him back in the middle of the season.
Shanahan also said he hoped to get safety Malik Mustapha and rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke back in the same time period as they are also recovering from ACL injuries.
“They’re all different stages,” Shanahan said. "With where they’re at, I always see them around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, means it could be Week 5, but that’s the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long way away. I know it’s not Week 1 or anything like that, so it’s something I’m not really thinking about too much.”
Jennings has been out with a calf injury that sidelined him in the offseason and during training camp last summer. Jennings is also seeking a new contract but Shanahan said the absence is injury related.
“It is something that we don’t think will be too serious, but it’s bothering him now,” he said. "Depending on how much he misses, I mean, I always want guys out there. It helps him, it helps the team. But, Jauan was all right last year too missing some time.”
The injuries and a potential suspension for Demarcus Robinson after he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge in early July leave the Niners with few healthy options at receiver outside of second-year player Ricky Pearsall.
Shanahan said the team is always looking into potential additions but that for now the focus is on the players in camp.
“It’s been an obvious situation to me for a while, so it’s stuff we’re working on," he said. “It’s stuff we’re trying to really put pressure on these younger guys. That’s why it was really unfortunate for Watkins to get that setback because we really believed he could have helped us early. But he needed to practice to be able to help us. So, it’s a minor setback for him.”
San Francisco did get some positive news on the injury front at receiver after second-year player Jacob Cowing hit the speeds he needed in a workout on Sunday to return from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the first day of camp.
Cowing is expected back at practice on Tuesday.
The Niners signed DL Trevis Gipson and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. to one-year deals to get more healthy bodies in camp.
Running back Ameer Abdullah was placed on injured reserve after injuring his ribs on Saturday night and No. 4 quarterback Tanner Mordecai was waived.
Offensive lineman Andre Dillard was activated off the physically unable to perform list and will be in the mix at backup tackle for San Francisco.
Rookie nickelback Upton Stout was held out of practice as he still had soreness in his calf. Cornerback Renardo Green will be out at least another week with a hamstring injury.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan walks on the sideline during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jordan Watkins (17 celbrates his catch with wide receiver Russell Gage Jr. (84) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
San Francisco 49ers Jordan Watkins (17) runs after a catch in the second half during a NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
