The 49ers are reeling from a wave of injuries. New victim? George Kittle sustained a hamstring injury in a 17-13 win over the Seahawks. The worst part is that Kittle will probably be out for multiple weeks. Even QB Brock Purdy sustained injuries, leaving the team scrambling for backup options. And the string of injuries has drawn attention to the players’ workouts during training camp and preseason. And NFL legend Chad Johnson believes that he can fix the problem.

He took to X with an offer to help coach Kyle Shanahan. “Dear @NFL please hire me as a team nutritionist. I can prevent this soft tissue injuries 🙏🏾,” he wrote on X. While his message was a humorous dig at the 49ers and their never-ending injury issues, or was he really serious? It’s something we wouldn’t know. But the injuries are a serious concern for the franchise. It could cost their performance this season. But there’s even a bigger issue about these unusual injuries.

In his message, the legend mentioned soft tissue injuries. Several key 49ers players have already suffered soft-tissue injuries. This has been the case in training camps, which has now extended to the regular season, too.

Some critics have pointed fingers at the 49ers’ head of strength and conditioning, Dustin Perry. Questioning whether the team’s approach to training is contributing to player injuries. As Grant Cohn mentioned in his report, some of the teams emphasize conditioning and proper warmups as an important tradition to avoid injuries. But he feels the 49ers’ practices under Shanahan often wrap up in just 90 minutes, occasionally extending to two hours on longer days. This schedule leaves less room for careful, structured warmups and conditioning.

He further added that when the 49ers practice independently, they skip static stretching entirely, opting instead for a brief three- to four-minute dynamic warmup of bouncing and jogging. While this approach allows the team to cover all football activities within a shorter time, some experts argue that it may increase the risk of injuries and reduce overall readiness.

When examining the team’s injury problems with basic critical thinking, the claim that insufficient stretching is the primary cause of their injury woes simply doesn’t hold up to logical scrutiny. While there are several accusations, it boils down to the team’s depth. Several analysts have also pointed out issues with the lack of depth on the roster. While the franchise has spent on extensions of the players, they haven’t made any key changes. And this is evident now in the TE’s absence.

Kyle Shanahan must rely on backups after George Kittle’s injury

Now, Kittle is expected to be placed on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday. This move sidelines Kittle for at least four games, impacting the team’s offensive plans early in the season. Before his departure, he finished the game with four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown.

The injury comes at the wrong time, with Purdy dealing with a shoulder and toe injury. The QB’s availability for the Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints remains uncertain. The Niners now face a challenging stretch without Kittle and potentially without their starting quarterback. With the move to injured reserve, Kittle will miss at least the next four games, including matchups against the Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Jaguars, and Los Angeles Rams. Head coach Shanahan noted that the team’s extended break after Week 5 could allow Kittle to return sooner if he is fully healthy.

As of now, the 49ers’ tight end depth chart will rely on Luke Farrell and Jake Tonges. But Farrell is primarily a blocking tight end. And Tonges recorded his first career reception and caught the game-winning 4-yard touchdown from Purdy in the final two minutes of the game in Week 1. While he showed that he can contribute in Kittle’s absence, the team will need the TE back in action soon.