49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve

The San Francisco 49ers are expected to place defensive end Dee Ford on injured reserve.

The San Franciso 49ers have been hit hard with injuries this season and while the rest of the NFL ha struggled, it’s hard to imagine a team that’s been hit harder than they have. And the latest update regarding Dee Ford certainly isn’t helping matters.

Ford has been sidelined since Week 1 after suffering a back injury in the days leading up to the team’s Week 2 game against the New York Jets. What was initially diagnosed as back spasms is evidently worse than the team initially believed.

And now, it seems like Ford is prepared to be out of action for at least the next three weeks.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters on Wednesday to give updates on a variety of injured players. And he insisted that the plan was to place Ford on the injured reserve later in the week.

After missing the last two weeks with his recurring back problems, Ford will not miss at least the next three weeks following his stay on injured reserve.

Dee Ford’s injury struggles with the 49ers continue.

That’s bad news for a 49ers team that has already lost star defensive end Nick Bosa for the remainder of the season and equally bad news for a player like Ford who has struggled to stay on the field during his time in San Francisco.

The 49ers acquired Ford in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 offseason and promptly signed him to a massive five-year, $85.5 million contract. Unfortunately, while Ford has been mildly effective when on the field, staying healthy has been a huge issue.

The 29-year-old was limited to just 11 games last season as a result of both knee and hamstring injuries. And despite vowing to play a full 16-game season in 2020, he very well could end up missing more time this season than he did last year.

In the meantime, the 49ers will once again turn to the likes of Kerry Hyder, Dion Jordan, and Ezekiel Ansah to hold down the pass-rush. Both Jordan and Ansah impressed in their team debuts this past week and the Niners will certainly be looking for more of that.

As for Ford, he’ll just look to return to the gridiron as soon as possible.