The San Francisco 49ers have been ravaged by injuries this season, but all things considered, they were relatively healthy heading into Week 12. This resulted in several healthy scratches on the injury report against the Seattle Seahawks. The most notable healthy scratch in my mind was defensive end Aaron Lynch.
Lynch has been dealing with a calf injury that sidelined him after Week 6. He was a DNP in practice Week 7, 8, and 9, but then was upgraded to limited in Week 10. The team preemptively ruled him out for Week 10, heading into their Week 11 bye. Coming out of the bye, Lynch was not on the injury report, meaning he was healthy and good to go for the game. Instead, he was inactive for the fifth straight game.
It was not entirely surprising he was ruled out for Week 10, but given that he had gotten in limited work all week, it was odd. Solomon Thomas and K’Waun Williams were both limited all week, but were listed as questionable for the game. But that aside, it was clear the 49ers coaching staff felt they had better options in Week 12.
Lynch is a free agent after this season, and it seems a safe bet that he will not be re-signed in the spring. The 49ers pass rush has been inconsistent at best. Had Lynch not hurt his calf, maybe this would be a different scenario. With Tank Carradine and Solomon Thomas both sidelined at one point, there were opportunities to be gained. Instead, he was sidelined by the injury, and it seems hard to see him getting the kind of strong finish he needs to have some momentum heading into free agency.