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The 49ers released their final injury report for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams, and we have a last minute surprise. Defensive end and special teams standout Demarcus Dobbs has been declared out for the game. It turns out Dobbs was arrested Friday morning following a car accident, according to a CHP report to Matt Maiocco.
A California Highway Patrol Officer told CSN Bay Area that Dobbs was involved in a single-car accident and was suspected of being under the influence. He was also arrested for possession of marijuana. It turns out it was his birthday, so it would seem he had a too much of a good time.
The absence of Dobbs creates some issues that will need to be addressed. Dobbs leads the team in special teams snaps every week, and that will need to be replaced. The decision to sign Michael Wilhoite off the practice squad makes even more sense as it sounds like he could get special teams work.
Prior to this news, Tre9er put together a look at the game-day roster in light of the Hunter/Williams injuries. In light of this news, Wilhoite will likely replace Dobbs in the roster. That still leaves some questions for the two IR-related roster spots. Tre mentioned how Anthony Dixon might be inactive, but with the leading special teams player inactive for Sunday, I suspect Dixon will be up.
With two spots open, I suspect Brandon Jacobs and LaMichael James will be the two players replacing Kendall Hunter and Kyle Williams. The team needs to figure out its backup running back options. On the other hand, without Williams, a guy Delanie Walker could get more time split out given his positional flexibility. A.J Jenkins could still end up active, but it seems less likely than Jacobs and James.
Fooch's Update: The 49ers released a statement about Dobbs' arrest:
"The 49ers are aware of the recent matter involving Demarcus Dobbs. We are gathering the relevant facts as it pertains to this situation. We have been in contact with both Demarcus and the League office. He will not be making the trip to St. Louis, and we will reserve further comment at this time."