The San Francisco 49ers lost Reggie Bush to another calf injury, but it turns out the team cannot bring Kendall Hunter back to eventually provide some depth. Normally a team can re-sign a player after the injury settlement plus six weeks. However, Matt Maiocco is reporting that because the injury settlement did not happen within five days of his placement on injured reserve, the 49ers forfeit the right to re-sign him this year.
The 49ers placed Kendall Hunter on injured reserve as part of their final roster cuts in early September. 12 days later, the team released him with an injury settlement. Ten days later, Hunter's name plate was spotted in a locker behind running back Carlos Hyde. It seemed to indicate the team was expecting him back at some point. Turns out, maybe not so much.
The 49ers running back situation has been a bit up and down this year. Carlos Hyde is doing some great work, but he has gotten a bit banged up at times. We saw him a bit gimpy at times on Sunday, and at one point the trainers were looking at his leg. He went back in and had the go-ahead touchdown late in the game. Behind him, Reggie Bush can't stay healthy, leaving Jarryd Hayne and Mike Davis as the primary backups. My guess is Bush is inactive this week, and Hayne and Davis end up splitting carries. It would be nice to have had Kendall Hunter back in the mix, but that won't be happening this year.