The San Francisco 49ers made a roster move on Tuesday, announcing that tight end Garrett Celek will be placed on injured reserve. The 49ers re-signed linebacker Shayne Skov to fill the open roster spot.
Celek suffered a high ankle sprain last week against the Arizona Cardinals, and missed this past week's game. Head coach Jim Tomsula said Monday would be a big day for Celek, as he would visit with doctor's and trainers following a week off. It clearly was not showing sufficient signs of improvement, and so the 49ers have ended his season. High ankle sprains frequently can result in multi-game absences, so with only four games remaining, this is not entirely surprising.
The next step is figuring out the tight end position. Vance McDonald and Blake Bell are the only regular tight ends on the roster, and McDonald is currently in the concussion protocol. The 49ers first practice participation report will arrive Wednesday afternoon, at which point we will have more of a handle on McDonald's status.
The 49ers have two tight ends on the practice squad, Jamie Childers and Brian Leonhardt. If McDonald clears the concussion protocol, I imagine the 49ers will not promote a tight end. If McDonald does not clear the protocol, barring a signing today, the team would promote one of those two tight ends.