The San Francisco 49ers have a lot to work on following their loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They also have some concerns with a thinning roster due to numerous injuries on Sunday one of them was to Brock Coyle. Coyle was helped off after what was thought to be a head neck injury.
In Kyle Shanahan’s post-game press conference, Shanahan said it was, “probably a concussion” when talking about the injury. Later on the news was confirmed by the beat writers that Coyle has indeed been diagnosed with a concussion. This would mean Coyle would begin the concussion protocol and his status for next Sunday against the Detroit Lions is up in the air.
This is a significant loss as the 49ers don’t have much to answer with at linebacker. Fred Warner was impressive, but he can’t shoulder things on his own. Reuben Foster has one more game on his suspension until he can come back and Malcolm Smith is also a question mark due to his hamstring.
Elijah Lee replaced Coyle after the concussion, and he made a big play, stopping Kirk Cousins just short of a first down. That had to impress the coaching staff. If Smith cannot play next week, Lee would be next up to start next to Warner. If Smith is able to play, Lee would be the primary reserve linebacker.
The 49ers are getting decimated at linebacker and I’d bet there’d be some tryouts through the week leading up to the Detroit Lions to find someone, anyone that can hold things down until Foster can return and others can get healthy.