Don't expect the San Francisco 49ers to go out and sign another veteran pass rusher this week after losing Ezekiel Ansah to a biceps tear. There are a few free-agent names out there, but the options have diminished.
There are also logistics issues due to COVID-19, which complicates things.
"It's kind of hard to bring guys in," head coach Kyle Shanahan explained, "and there's not a ton out there right now. We've done it, I feel, as well as we can so far. And when you do bring guys in, with all the COVID testing rules and stuff, I think the earliest we could get them is by Friday. If they're not here today, I think it's Saturday.
"I don't know know if we'll be able to do that this week. I doubt it. We'll go with what we've got, and we'll see who's ready to go."
Injuries have decimated the 49ers' defensive line. The team placed Dee Ford (back) on injured reserve over the weekend. Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas both suffered season-ending ACL injuries during Week 2. San Francisco has been without Ronald Blair (knee) and Jullian Taylor (knee), who remain on the physically-unable-to-perform list (PUP).
"You keep trying to see how you can upgrade your team," Shanahan said. "Every time you lose a guy, that's what we do. Guys are looking at what the options are at all times. It's not the easiest to continue to find pass rushers and D-linemen at this time of the year, so that is always a challenge.
"Since we've lost all those guys, I think our D-line has really stepped up to the challenge. I think they played two good games in New York. I thought yesterday they played very hard. ... I think our D-line is battling. I think they're giving us a chance. I think we just made a few silly mistakes (against the Eagles) that kept a couple of drive going."
Shanahan added that he hasn't yet discussed the replacement options — if there are any — with general manager John Lynch and his staff.
