Kyle Shanahan Confirms Injuries, Says Jimmie Ward Could Play With Broken Left Hand

Oct 10, 2022, 2:20 PM | Updated: 2:47 pm

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers on the field after a win over the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

(Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

The San Francisco 49ers came away from the weekend 3-2 and at the top of the NFC West. Unfortunately, all anyone will remember from Sunday’s beatdown of the Carolina Panthers are the injuries.

San Francisco suffered big losses in Week 5, losing defensive end Nick Bosa, safety Jimmie Ward, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley and kicker Robbie Gould before the final whistle.

Ward’s injury was first, breaking his left hand on the opening kickoff, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan Monday. The defensive back was left stunned by the injury, deciding to play a snap on defense before coming out of the game permanently.

“It happened on the opening kickoff. In Jimmie Ward style, he just didn’t want to accept it was broken so he stayed in there the next play, and he finally realized it was,” Shanahan said Monday via conference call.

Shanahan said "there is a chance" Jimmie Ward will be able to play with a club over his broken hand, but the 49ers won't be able to determine that until after Tuesday's surgery https://t.co/5pQNk5GDKv

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 10, 2022

Ward will have surgery to fix the fracture Tuesday, the team will then be able to determine if he can play through the injury with a soft-cast club over his hand. The secondary captain had just come off the injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in the preseason.

Continuing in the secondary, the team feared Moseley suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday, leaving the stadium on crutches. A torn ACL was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter Monday, and was later confirmed by the team.

His injury occurred in the final minutes of Sunday’s contest, going up for a pass breakup on a deep ball against WR DJ Moore. Moseley landed awkwardly on the artificial turf before rolling around on the ground in pain. He was able to walk off the field with the help of trainers, noticeably limping along the sideline afterward.

Moseley, 26, is set to be a free agent in 2023 and was in line for a massive contract extension after his performances in the first few weeks. His pick-six interception in the second quarter set the tone for the 49ers out of the break.

“He’s going to be really missed this year,” Shanahan said. “And I really, really hope to have him back next year.”

Help is on the way though, as CB Jason Verrett (knee) is slated to come off the PUP list any day now. Suffering a similar ACL injury in Week 1 of the 2021 season, the 33-year-old cover man took part in his first official practice last Wednesday, indicating his return to the field is close.

“If Verrett’s ready to go, he’s a big-time corner,” Shanahan said. “So if Verrett can get these practice reps and get out there and get fully-healed and get back into game-shape and ready to go, he’ll end up being our guy.”

Lastly the Bosa Bear. The team’s leading pass rusher complained of a groin injury at halftime, trying to work through it in the third quarter before he was announced out for the remainder of the game.

Shanahan described the injury as a “tight” groin, explaining that it had not improved Monday and would have missed practice if the team conducted one.

Shanahan says that Nick Bosa's groin "wasn't feeling great today" and that, if the 49ers had practice today, Bosa wouldn't have been able to go

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 10, 2022