Shon Coleman went down with a gruesome lower leg injury early in the first quarter of the 49ers’ preseason opener Saturday night. His injury is believed to be season-ending according to Matt Barrows of the Athletic.
That doesn’t come as a huge surprise given the nature of the injury. It looked grisly when it happened, and his ankle was put in an air cast before he was carted off. That’s typical of a serious injury.
There’s no word on an exact diagnosis.
Coleman got the start at left tackle with the 49ers’ entire starting offensive line sitting out the first preseason bout. He got only four plays into the game before his leg was landed on during a running play to the left side.
He was the leading candidate to snag the swing tackle job after spending all of last season on the active roster, but inactive for each game. The 49ers tried fixing their depth issues along the offensive line through a variety of free agent signings this offseason, but it’s still an area of weakness for the club.
If Coleman is down for the year, it’s a pretty big blow to an already shaky area of the 49ers’ roster.
