49ers: D.J. Reed joins growing list of injured Niners players

San Francisco 49ers’ defensive back D.J. Reed is the latest player to go down with an offseason injury.

The San Francisco 49ers have been dealing with some unfortunate injury luck over the past couple of weeks with multiple players going down with offseason injuries. Now, you could add versatile defensive back D.J. Reed to that growing list.

Reed took to Twitter on Thursday to confirm reports that he had suffered a torn pectoral during a recent offseason workout. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports was the first to report the injury before Reed confirmed it.

This comes not too long after two 49ers receivers were involved in separate offseason injuries that resulted in both players suffering relatively major injuries.

2019 rookie standout Deebo Samuel was the first to go down with an injury after he broke his foot last month. And just one day later, fellow wideout and return man Richie James reportedly suffered a broken wrist which could cost him his roster spot.

Both Samuel and James could miss regular-season action (if James makes the roster) and the same might be true for Reed given his recent injury diagnosis.

D.J. Reed’s injury is reminiscent of the one suffered by 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander last year.

49ers fans will likely recall that the same injury — a torn pectoral — was sustained by linebacker Kwon Alexander in the middle of last season. Alexander would go on to miss two months of action before returning prematurely in the postseason.

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However, he was clearly a shell of his former self, evidently slowed down by an injury that didn’t fully heal. Don’t expect the 49ers to rush Reed back in the same way.

A fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Reed has primarily been a special-teamer over his first two years in San Francisco. Originally a cornerback, Reed was shifted over to more of a backup safety role in 2019, although he has experience playing both.

Reed has only missed one game in his career, but did undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder in early 2019 — although the injury never forced him to miss any games.

This injury, however, will likely force him to miss some regular-season action, assuming Week 1 starts on time as expected. Fellow reserve defensive backs such as Marcell Harris and Tarvarius Moore will likely be asked to step up in his absence.

Next. 49ers: Richie James’ injury could cost him a roster spot. dark

Here’s to hoping that this is the last we hear of any 49ers injuries for quite some time.