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The San Francisco 49ers are expecting to miss left guard Mike Iupati this Monday against Washington, and now it looks like they might be without cornerback Tarell Brown. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting that Brown spent the night in New Orleans as a precaution, and he is "likely" to miss some time.
#49ers CB Tarell Brown stayed overnight in New Orleans as a precaution, per source, while dealing with a rib injury. Returned home yesterday
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 19, 2013
While the specific diagnosis isn’t clear on #49ers CB Tarell Brown, he is believed to at least have cracked ribs. Likely going to miss time.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 19, 2013
The 49ers will not release their first injury report until Thursday. If Brown has a cracked rib, it would seem likely that he will sit out practice this week, and at least Monday's game. We'll need to do some more research on cracked ribs before making any further conclusions.
If Brown is unable to play next Monday, the 49ers would roll out Carlos Rogers and Tramaine Brock as their starting cornerbacks, with Eric Wright serving as the nickel back. The team used a fair amount of dime against the Saints before Brown got hurt, but would be less likely to use it against Washington.
Safety C.J. Spillman got one snap with the dime after Brown went down, which would seem to imply he's the guy they would look to if needed. They also have cornerback Darryl Morris on the 53-man roster. The 49ers have DB Michael Thomas on the practice squad, and recently signed cornerback Daxton Swanson to the practice squad. My guess is they would not make a roster move.