Jalen Hurd got miserable news on Monday, and sadly, it’s been too frequent an event for the 49ers receiver.
The former running back missed the last five games of his junior season in Tennessee with injury, then sidelined the following season after his transfer to Baylor. He capitalized on his lone season at Waco, playing 12 games while showing real promise as a receiver, enough for the 49ers to make him a third-round pick to play that position with the pros.
He immediately kept that promise, winning two touchdowns on his preseason debut with San Francisco. But it was a short-lived period of excitement as he suffered a stress fracture in his back during training camp and missed the rest of the season.
Hurd had spent the entire offseason recovering from that injury and was seen as a potential candidate in his second professional season. He drew rave reviews from several teammates, and coach Kyle Shanahan was surely thrilled to bring the huge and versatile receiver into his offense.
Then on Sunday, Hurd collapsed while training on side court. As feared, his agent confirmed Monday night that Hurd tore up his ACL, ending his 2020 season before it began.
It’s a blow to the 49ers, and you have to feel Hurd. Injuries are a big part of football, but the 24-year-old has had terrible luck.
“It’s a pretty unfortunate thing for him,” Shanahan said Monday. “We know what he went through last year with his back. The guy worked as hard as anyone on our team to come back. To get hurt before he can actually go there, just something weird in the air, cutting. I feel really bad for the guy, but he will be back next year.
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Now that it’s confirmed that Hurd will miss the upcoming season, that means he’s only appeared in 19 games in the last five years. For comparison, the 49ers played 19 games last season on their way to Super Bowl LIV and including.
As Shanahan said, Hurd is still a part of the 49ers’ plans. But unfortunately for everyone involved, he won’t be able to play for them anytime soon.
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