SANTA CLARA – Talanoa Hufanga can’t catch a break.
Hufanga, an All-Pro safety in 2022, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday due to a torn wrist ligament, meaning he’ll miss no less than 4 games.
That wasn't a whole surprise given coach Kyle Shanahan's assessment of the injury on Tuesday.
“It will take at least a month, probably longer,” Shanahan said.
Tight end Brayden Willis was promoted to the 53-man roster to switch Hufanga.
A yr ago, Hufanga suffered a torn ACL within the eleventh game of the season against Tampa Bay. Surgery ended his season, including the 49ers' playoff appearance within the Super Bowl.
Hufanga made it back to the sphere within the 49ers' Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and played 53 snaps with seven tackles, but missed the sport against New England with an ankle injury. He left with a wrist injury after 11 snaps in a 24-23 loss to Arizona.
Place-kicker Jake Moody (ankle) and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (knee) were listed as unavailable for the 49ers' Thursday night game in Seattle. Cornerback Charvarius Ward (knee) and wide receiver Chris Conley (oblique) are questionable.
With Hufanga out for the foreseeable future, the 49ers' strong safety position belongs to rookie fourth-round draft pick Malik Mustapha. The Wake Forest product began against New England and played all 64 snaps.
Moody shall be replaced by free agent Matthew Wright, who joined the 49ers on Tuesday. It's unclear whether Moody shall be placed on the injured list, even though it's likely he shall be out for a month or more after suffering a severe ankle sprain on the kickoff return against Arizona.
Ward, who has yet to achieve his All-Pro type of a yr ago, appeared on the injury report following Sunday's loss. He told the media on Tuesday that he was expected to play.
“I feel good, good enough,” Ward said.
Elliott had been battling a knee injury for 3 weeks and was unable to return after a temporary layoff after playing 28 snaps against Arizona.
Seattle is missing defensive tackle Byron Murphy (hamstring), linebacker Uchenna Owusu and cornerback Tariq Woolen (ankle). Linebacker Derrick Hall (foot), safety Julian Love (hamstring) and linebacker Boye Mafe (knee) are questionable.
Originally published:
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