On Friday, the San Francisco 49ers confirmed that defensive end Tank Carradine has a high ankle sprain suffered against the Los Angeles Rams. The injury came in a Thursday Night Football game, which occurred just days after the 49ers defense had seen the field for nearly 80 plays.
The game also saw five different concussions, three to 49ers players — safety Jaquiski Tartt, linebacker Brock Coyle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk — and a depleted 49ers team gets even thinner. Any one of those concussed players could miss the team’s Week 4 game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Carradine is a potential candidate for injured reserve, so there’s virtually no chance he plays in that game. Kyle Shanahan also confirmed after the loss to the Rams that both linebacker Reuben Foster and safety Eric Reid — high ankle sprain and PCL injury, respectively — aren’t ready to come back yet.
In other words, the 49ers are probably looking at being without three defensive starters against the NFC West-rival Cardinals. They already have lost to the rival Seattle Seahawks and now the Rams, so things are certainly not ideal.
Add to that the potential for Tartt, a starter with Reid out, and Coyle, a backup with Foster out, to be out or not at 100 percent and ... things could get ugly against the Cardinals. San Francisco has made some strides here and there, but I don’t really see a way they manage a win against the Cardinals if they keep losing players at the rate they’re dropping.