49ers oft-injured WR Jalen Hurd sent to IR after experiencing osteoarthritis in torn ACL?
The San Francisco 49ers continue to keep third-year WR Jalen Hurd around. Why? The answer lies in his big-play ability. The oft-injured yet talented wide receiver has had an injury-plagued career.
Who is WR Jalen Hurd?
Hurd was drafted in the third-round (No. 67) of the 2019 NFL draft. The thought process behind drafting Hurd was clearly based on versatility. It’s what enticed 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan to take the risk on the player without a home position.
“I mean, he can do about everything. I mean, I think if he would have stayed a running back, I think he would have gotten drafted as an NFL running back. Today he got drafted as an NFL receiver, kind of. I believe if he tried to play tight end he would have gotten drafted as an NFL tight end. That's a pretty unique thing to have. I don't remember being able to say that about any player I've studied before. So, it's neat to be able to do that and he can help us out in a lot of different ways."
Hurd was supposed to be what WR Deebo Samuel is today. He was supposed to be that x-factor gadget player who can line up in a role much like Washington WR Curtis Samuel. But potential doesn’t mean much if you can’t sustain health.
The NFL stands for Not For Long and time is running out on the Baylor product.
Re-aggravated ACL injury
A couple of weeks ago, we saw Hurd take his first live preseason action against the Las Vegas Raiders. He recorded five touches for 27 scrimmage yards. It appeared that Hurd was on track for the start of the regular season. Then news broke Thursday, that Shanahan was going to "shut him down for a little bit,” after re-aggravating his torn ACL.
“Yeah, we felt pretty good going out of the Raiders game with just how long he was able to play and get through it,” Shanahan said. “But, it was hurting him three days later when we tried to practice again and gave him the weekend off and it was hurting again Monday and just coming in here today just realizing that we’ve got to re-evaluate this and shut him down for a little bit.”
This is solely on the team’s medical staff. I place 100% blame on them for the rehabilitation process or lack thereof.
What is a torn ACL?
Being NASM trained, 70% of all ACL injuries are non-contact, while the majority of those ACL injuries occur between the ages of 15-25.
Although not reported, a huge problem for Hurd could be the lack of neuromuscular stabilization in his rehabilitation process. That falls solely on the team’s strength and conditioning staff, just my opinion.
Being a 49ers beat writer for the better half of the decade, the head strength coach will work closely with the injured player on the “side-field” adjacent to the weight room while the rest of the team practices. What types of static stretches and physical therapy methods were being used with Hurd? We have to ask Hurd directly to find those answers.
Peeling back layers of the onion to get to the core
Furthermore, ACL injuries can develop arthritis/articular cartilage damage in the affected knee called “osteoarthritis.”
The ACL plays a key role in ligaments that help stabilize your knee joint. The ACL connects your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia). It's most commonly torn during sports that involve sudden stops and changes in direction.
Clearly, Hurd was not 100% when taking the field and clearly someone is to blame for it. Swelling and stiffness are what Hurd was likely experiencing, although not confirmed yet.
Does this fall on the strength and conditioning coaches or rather Hurd who seems to be injury-prone? How about both?
That question can be up for debate, but I work with some current physical therapists who also work with some of these big-time 49ers players, who echo my analysis, the daily practice stretching routine and some of their workouts need to be changed. The players don’t know what’s right or wrong, it’s up to the coaching staff to do what’s right by the player.
Hurd sent to IR
Hurd who will be shut down for a while was re-assigned to Injured Reserve (IR). No surprise here as I heard that was the play back on Sept. 9 and reported via exclusively on my BEASTwriter Discord server:
This means that Hurd will forfeit the first 3 games of regular season play. He joins the following players on the designated list (which does not count against the 53-man roster).
Injured Reserve (IR) (can return after first 3 games):
OT Shon Coleman (tricep strain)
Maurice Hurst (high ankle sprain)
CB Davontae Harris (hamstring)
WR Jalen Hurd (ACL)
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