San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan stepped up to the podium to speak with reporters following Tuesday's practice, the first of two during this week's mandatory minicamp. Some players were noticeably absent or limited during the session.
Shanahan shared that the team's two starting tackles, Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, are dealing with minor injuries. McGlinchey, who is dealing with minor knee issues, did not practice while Staley, who is dealing with a pectoral strain, was limited.
McGlinchey has PRP injections into knees to get him ready for camp. Nothing serious, likely tendinitis
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) June 11, 2019
As for McGlinchey, Shanahan said, "We had this planned all along. He needed to get a PRP on his knee, so we just wanted to do it before camp. We thought this would give him enough time to recover and heal the right way. It's something we've been planning on doing for a while. We just wanted to do it at the best time."
McGlinchey will need to stay off the knee for about three weeks following the procedure, said Shanahan.
Also absent from practice was rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who "tweaked" his groin.
Update: While Shanahan initially reported a groin injury, the 49ers corrected the official transcript of his press conference to make it clear that Samuel sustained what is being identified as a hip injury.
Tight end Garrett Celek is still in the concussion protocol and can't be tested again until the team practices with pads. That, however, is not the primary reason he will continue to miss time. Celek recently underwent back surgery and will be sidelined for about two months.
"It's a serious surgery he did, dealing with the back," Shanahan said. "Some stuff that Trent (Taylor) went through last year, and some stuff that Celek went through before he got here. I think five years ago he had a surgery like this on his back. I want to say then it was during the season. I think he missed — I think I was told six to eight weeks, and he's having something similar right now."
Other players like linebacker Kwon Alexander and running back Jerick McKinnon will be re-evaluated once the team reports to training camp.
"We'll come back from vacation and get their physicals, and we'll test them out, and hope the doctors clear them," Shanahan said. "If they do, they'll be full-go. We'll obviously take care of them and have a plan with them coming back from an injury like that. The goal is to hope they're ready by the first day of camp, but if there's any hesitation at all, then we have no problem being patient with that and wait until they are ready."
