The San Francisco 49ers will be without strong safety Eric Reid when they play the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed in a conference call on Monday. Reid’s injury is to his PCL, and will not require surgery and will heal on its own, but will likely keep him out of multiple games.
Reid left the team’s Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks with a leg injury, but returned after a round of x-rays came up negative. After returning to the game, he left a second time and did not return.
“They kept looking at his knee and didn’t feel that there was anything torn,” Shanahan said when asked why Reid returned to the game. “It seemed alright. [Reid] said he could go, kept trying to go.”
This means the 49ers will be without two defensive starters, as linebacker Reuben Foster is not expected to return in time for the game against the Rams.
The safety position has been iffy for the 49ers through two games, due to a lingering hamstring injury that forced Jimmie Ward out of Week 1 and had him limited in Week 2. Jaquisk Tartt has been starting at free safety, but Ward is expected to return to that role against the Rams.
It’s likely that Tartt will make the start at strong safety in Reid’s absence. But Shanhan did say that Tartt’s status at the moment was questionable. The team did not practice on Monday, but Tartt would have been limited if they had. He’s dealing with a neck injury.
If Tartt can’t go, then it’s possible Asa Jackson gets some work at the safety position. He’s primarily a cornerback, but he can play safety, and there’s also Lorenzo Jerome to consider. Jerome would likely be the starter if Tartt cannot go. Adrian Colbert is around, but he’s a special teams player more than anything.