Kyle Shanahan says Drake Jackson will miss training camp; No timeline for his return

Jul 29, 2024, 1:43 PM | Updated: 2:29 pm

Kyle Shanahan ; Drake Jackson #95 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts as he walks off the field follo...

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 01: Drake Jackson #95 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts as he walks off the field following an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

Not all news coming out of training camp is good, with Kyle Shanahan sharing some unfortunate injury news to open the practice week.

The San Francisco 49ers coach revealed that third-year defensive end Drake Jackson has no timeline to return to the field, only that he will miss the entirety of 2024 training camp. Shanahan would not specify that Jackson had a setback, only that recovery from his knee surgery is take longer than the 49ers initially hoped.

“Anytime you do that type of surgery that he had, I think [former 49ers OL Mike] McGlinchey had a similar one, those are big surgeries,” Kyle Shanahan said about Jackson’s surgery Monday. “They’re tough to come back from and you never know how they’re gonna react. We always know it’s a possibility to take a long time and it’s taking a long time.”

Drake Jackson, 23, has been recovering from patellar tendon surgery since January, hoping to make a full recovery in time for training camp. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, now looking at an extended absence to return to the gridiron. The USC product has been out of action since Week 8 of the 2o023 regular season with the knee injury.

Entering Year 3 in the NFL, Jackson has six career sacks, 21 combined tackles and nine pass break-ups in 23 career games. He also has an interception to his name from 2022.

#49ers injury updates:

DE Drake Jackson (knee) will NOT be returning to practice during training camp – Shanahan did not have a timeline

WR Jacob Cowing (hamstring) will likely be out approx 10 days total

RB Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) will be out several weeks

— Jennifer Lee Chan – threads @jenniferleechan (@jenniferleechan) July 29, 2024

Additionally, guard Spencer Burford has still not made a decision yet on his fractured hand, seeking multiple doctor’s opinions first. He will likely miss a few weeks’ time regardless of surgery. His absence opens the door for other young offensive linemen to get snaps, including rookie Dominick Puni.

Kyle Shanahan also revealed a few rookies dealing with ailments, one more several than the other.

Wide receiver Jacob Cowing has a low-grade hamstring injury and is expected back in a week. Meanwhile, running back Isaac Guerendo has a more severe hamstring strain, expected to be out the majority of training camp. The latter injured his right leg on the first day of practice last week.