Injury updates: Joe Staley has a broken left fibula

The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Cincinnati Bengals, but it lost one of their key starters in Joe Staley. Kyle Shanahan said after the game that Staley suffered a broken fibula. He said this is an injury that Staley has dealt with before, but doesn’t expect him to miss the entire season.

The injury happened during a run play blocking for Raheem Mostert. Shanahan said that Staley is not expected to miss more than eight weeks, which means he’s not a candidate for the short-term IR. Staley himself said he would be out six to eight weeks.

One of the main questions will be, “should Mike McGlinchey move to left tackle?” That is an outdated train of thought. The 49ers run a heavy play-action scheme off outside zone. Plenty of elite pass rushers line up on the right side. Shanahan said you hate to change two positions/starters if you only have to change one. Staley was on crutches in the locker room. McGlinchey said that Staley sustained a hairline fracture when Ross Dwelley leg-whipped into his shin. Rough.

Dee Ford left the game with a quad irritation, but there was no known injury news.