SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ The 49ers may be dealing with injuries to a pair of starters while a backup had to be carted off the field midway through Sunday's training camp practice.
Rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the recent first-round pick who has arguably been the team's most impressive receiver, came up lame and grabbed the back of his left thigh while running a deep route and didn't return to practice. Defensive end Dee Ford didn't participate in team drills after he was seen in discomfort following a one-on-one pass rushing drill early in the session.
And offensive lineman Ross Reynolds, whose practice reps have increases due to depth issues along the interior, had to be carted off the field with an apparent leg injury midway through.
The team did not immediately have updates on the injuries.
Aiyuk has been a favorite target of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo throughout the first week of training camp and had been acclimating quickly for a rookie. He's slated for a big role in Kyle Shanahan's offense while the team deals with the absence of top wideout Deebo Samuel after he broke his foot in June. It's unclear if Samuel will be available for Week 1, though he has resumed sprinting and conditioning drills. The 49ers lost Jalen Hurd last week for the season with a torn ACL.
"We're expecting (Auyik) to play a lot this year, just like we were expecting Deebo and Jalen last year," Shanahan said earlier this week about Aiyuk. "When it's that way, you've got a lot of pressure on you, so you can't miss a day or you get behind and he's doing that both mentally and physically."
Ford had knee surgery soon after the Super Bowl by orthopedist Dr. James Andrews to alleviate tendinitis that hampered him throughout last season. It's unclear if his latest injury is related, but Ford had been getting positive reviews from coaches and teammates for his work on the practice field. The knee issue last year prevented from playing for the majority of training camp. He suffered a hamstring injury late in the year and only played 22% of the snaps during the regular season before returning for the playoffs.
Reynolds joined the team as an undrafted rookie last season and has been competing for a depth role along the offensive line. He has played predominately guard but worked at center for spells while the team's top two centers, Weston Richburg (knee) and Ben Garland (ankle), have been out with injuries.
Garland is expected to return in time for the Sept. 13 season opener while Richburg could begin the season on the physically unable to perform list. Daniel Brunskill has been getting the majority of reps at center.
