San Francisco 49ers: 4 players who benefit early from training camp injuries

With training camp set to begin this weekend, the San Francisco 49ers have announced four players who will not start as participants. This opens the door for others to take advantage of the time away.

During their opening training camp press conference, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that four players would begin training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

The four players were center Weston Richburg, safety Jimmie Ward, tight end Garrett Celek and, perhaps most notably, running back Jerick McKinnon, who apparently had a “flare-up” from his recovery from ACL surgery before last season.

This list is important to pay attention to for a few reasons, partially because at least three of these players stand to be vital cogs in 2019, but also for more optimistic purposes. Since these players won’t be practicing during training camp — and may see their participation in preseason games dwindle as well — it presents opportunities for players below them on the depth chart to make waves.

Here are four players who will benefit from Richburg, Ward, Celek and McKinnon being inactive to start training camp.