49ers place Super Bowl-winning WR on IR

The San Francisco 49ers host the Atlanta Falcons in a primetime Week 7 clash on Sunday. Unfortunately for San Francisco, its offense will be far from full strength yet again. Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall have dealt with injuries throughout the regular season. However, Marquez Valdes-Scantling joined them on the injury report this week. Now, he is on the team’s injured reserve.

Valdes-Scantling won Super Bowl LVII with the Kansas City Chiefs before bouncing around the NFL in 2024. The veteran wideout joined the 49ers before the season began to give the team more depth at wide receiver. However, even he could not escape from the injury bug that has haunted the 49ers all season.

According to the 49ers, he will miss at least four weeks with a calf injury.

“The 49ers have placed WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling on IR,” the team announced on Friday.

Without Valdes-Scantling on the field, Kendrick Bourne figures to handle a large workload for San Francisco. Despite the injuries, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is in search of a bounce back win after a beating at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. However, the Falcons found their offensive groove against the Buffalo Bills and pose a big threat to San Francisco.

Jennings comes into the game as Shanahan’s No. 1 wide receiver, but the gap between him and Bourne is a big one. Unfortunately, Valdes-Scantling won’t be back on the field for at least a month. The receiver has dealt with injuries throughout his career, and this one could derail his 2025 campaign.

Despite all of the injuries they have suffered, the 49ers are 4-2, tied for the top spot in the NFC West. San Francisco has a good chance at making the playoffs once its roster returns to full strength. For now, though, Shanahan will have to get creative with his offense to keep his team in the game against the Falcons on Sunday night.