San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who need to bounce back in Week 2 vs. Lions
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Linebacker Brock Coyle
Linebacker Brock Coyle suffered a concussion during the 49ers’ Week 1 loss in Minnesota, and he remains questionable for the team’s home opener versus the Lions as he goes through the NFL’s protocol on head injuries.
San Francisco 49ers
That said, the Niners are awfully thin at linebacker heading into this contest. With second-year linebacker Reuben Foster (suspension) still out for another game and veteran Malcolm Smith questionable with a hamstring injury, Coyle’s pending return could be very important for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s unit.
Should Coyle return, though, he’ll need to have a performance far better than the one seen against the Vikings.
Coyle registered four tackles during the game, sure. But he also missed four tackles on the day, per Pro Football Focus, which was the most out of anyone on San Francisco’s defense. And plays like the one Niners Wire’s Rob Lowder showed here help illustrate the numerous times Coyle was out of position, subsequently resulting in first-down pickups by Minnesota.
With the rookie, Fred Warner, likely to retain the MIKE linebacker spot, Coyle’s efforts at WILL should be crucial to ensuring the Lions short passing game and plays out of the backfield are kept to a minimum.
Editor’s Update: The 49ers have placed Brock Coyle on injured reserve, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco:
The #49ers placed LB Brock Coyle (concussion) on injured reserve and promoted OL Najee Toran to the active roster from the practice squad.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 12, 2018