An important training camp for 49ers fourth-year guard Joshua Garnett hasn’t gotten off to a roaring start. The offensive lineman dislocated a finger on Day 1 of camp, then left Day 2 early after dislocating that finger again according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Garnett, a first-round pick in 2016, hasn’t had a ton of success getting on the field in his career. He’s played in just 22 games with 11 starts all as a rookie. He missed all of 2017 with an injury, and couldn’t win a starting job last season while battling a thumb injury.
Injuries have been a theme throughout Garnett’s career and kept him from having a real opportunity for playing time.
He was already facing an uphill climb to snag a starting job this year with last year’s starter Mike Person re-signing, and a slew of free agent additions on the offensive line in the mix for the job.
Garnett is being evaluated for that dislocated finger, but any missed time won’t help his case for a starting role. This isn’t a major injury for the 49ers, but it certainly matters for Garnett and the depth along the offensive line.
He can still fight his way into the conversation for the starting right guard spot, but it’s going to require a quick comeback and then dominant, injury-free play throughout the preseason.
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