49ers roster: 5 players who should be in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers Wide Receiver Jalen Hurd
While it’s far too soon to suggest Aaron Banks is going down a similar road as another former San Francisco lineman, Joshua Garnett, did in Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse, it’s probably reached that point where third-year wide receiver Jalen Hurd’s time has run its course.
Hurd, who missed his rookie season with a serious back injury suffered in his first preseason outing in 2019, also missed 2020 with an ACL tear and has been only scantly available during training camp practices.
To the point where Shanahan effectively called the receiver out, saying there’s “not a lot of time left” with regards to Hurd making the cut.
Related Story: Kyle Shanahan calls out Jalen Hurd, there’s ‘not a lot of time left’
True, no player should bear the brunt of the blame for suffering serious injuries, and Hurd has had some awfully bad luck during his pro career.
At the same time, though, Hurd missing a large chunk of training camp before missing both preseason games thus far doesn’t bode well for his roster chances, and it’s highly likely Shanahan is now considering a wide receiver room that’ll never have Hurd in the mix.
Most likely, Shanahan is going to relegate Hurd to the category of “what could have been?” players.