Trent Brown placed on injured reserve, 49ers activate DB Tyvis Powell

The San Francisco 49ers have placed right tackle Trent Brown on injured reserve, officially ending his season. Brown is the team’s best offensive lineman next to Joe Staley, but has dealt with a shoulder injury that forced him out of two of the last three games for the 49ers.

To take his place on the roster, the 49ers announced the promotion of defensive back Tyvis Powell from the practice squad. Powell signed with the team on Nov. 1, and was an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks a year ago. He primarily has played on special teams.

Brown was frequently been the top lineman in both run blocking and pass blocking. When he’s out of the lineup, the 49ers are indisputably worse. Zane Beadles has been and will continue to start at right tackle with Brown out for the remaining three games.

Pro Football Focus gave Brown an 84.7 pass blocking grade for the season, eighth among all qualifying tackles, according to Jeff Deeney.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Brown. Kyle Shanahan previously made it sound like he was out of the loop on Brown’s status, even sounding frustrated following the team’s win over the Houston Texans. But since the news of him going on injured reserve, Shanahan has said that he supports the decision fully.

He also said that Brown is a crucial part of the 49ers’ future, and with that, we’re in agreement. Beadles is certainly not the answer, and I’ll be holding my breath on every Jimmy Garoppolo snap from now until the end of the regular season.