The 49ers on Friday got a bit of bad injury news in their receiving corps. Wide receiver Richie James will have knee surgery and miss at least six weeks according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
This is a tough blow for James, who was in contention for one of the final spots on the roster at receiver. The battle at that position has been one of the most interesting in camp, and now the injury to James puts the 49ers in a bit of a tough spot.
They could waive James with an injury designation, which means he’d revert to their Injured Reserve list if he cleared waivers. That would end his season since going on IR before final roster cuts doesn’t allow the player to return. Keeping him on the 53-man roster would allow them to put him on IR with a chance to return after six weeks. That would chew up a roster spot though, and they’d have to hope a player clears waivers so they could re-sign him to fill the spot vacated by James’ exit to IR.
There’s also a question about what James’ role would be once he’s healthy. Nsimba Webster has had a nice camp and could fill the kick returner role for the first part of the season. That would give the 49ers an option to see him in the regular season and then figure out what to do with James once he’s ready to return to the field.
The good news is this doesn’t sound like something that’ll jeopardize James’ season, and if he can return in time to contribute in the second half, he could be a valuable addition to an unproven 49ers’ receiving corps.