Trent Taylor’s foot surgery took place Friday according to the Athletic’s Matt Barrows, but it wasn’t announced until the broadcast of the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Cowboys. No timetable was given for his return, but the third-year receiver took to Twitter to give some insight on his injury.
“Thanks everyone for reaching out!” he wrote on his official Twitter account. “Just missing a couple of games but I’ll be back soon and better than ever I promise you that!!”
San Francisco opens their regular season on Sept. 8 in Tampa Bay. The 49ers have a couple options for dealing with their former fifth-round pick.
If Taylor is only going to miss two or three games, they’ll likely keep him on the roster and just make him inactive for the first couple weeks.
If they think it’s going to be more games than that, they can place him on injured reserve and designate him to return after Week 8. That means he’d miss seven games.
The surgery, per Barrows, was for a small fracture that could’ve gotten worse if Taylor played. Instead of risking a long-term injury, the team elected for surgery to prevent further damage.
Taylor was having a good preseason and looked primed for a breakout third season after back surgery led to a disappointing Year 2. His absence could open the door for rookie Jalen Hurd to get snaps in the slot. Rookie Deebo Samuel, second-year receiver Dante Pettis and second-year receiver Richie James can all operate from the slot as well.
