In recent years, the San Francisco 49ers have dealt with so many injuries that one can’t help but turn to gallows humor at times. The Niners were so banged up on defense last year and had to rely on several different players.
Keion White was one of those players, but unfortunately, he joined the injured ranks when he wasn't even playing earlier this year when he was shot in the ankle during an alleged incident involving rapper Lil Baby at a Bay Area event that was taking place around the time of the Super Bowl.
Thankfully, White was not hurt in any sort of life-threatening way, but it is still remarkable how Niners players keep on getting injured in such bizarre ways.
White recently spoke with Kyle Odegard of R.org and gave an update on his progress from the injury.
“I feel pretty good. I’m just taking everything one day at a time and seeing where we are,” White said.
He was in attendance for a celebrity basketball game in Arizona but did not participate in the play on the floor. He was just a coach for the event, so that ankle is clearly not good enough to play on just yet.
The Niners acquired White ahead of the trade deadline last year when it became clear San Francisco needed some sort of boost in the edge-rusher department. The hope was it was a prelude to an even bigger move by general manager John Lynch that would land someone like Trey Hendrickson, but the Niners did not want to give up a lot to get a guy who’d be a rental.
White was not a rental, although he never did all that much with the New England Patriots and finally didn’t do a lot with the Niners last season, as he had 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine games with San Francisco.
He will be a nice depth piece to have this season, but if he is playing a ton, that means something has gone wrong. Expect Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams to be the starters as they come back from injury. White will likely be a guy who spells them if they need a rest, although he will be competing with rookie Romello Height who figures to be a third-down rusher.
White did not commit to being ready by training camp when he spoke with Odegard, but nonetheless, it’s nice to see him progressing from the injury.
Last season proved how important depth is in the NFL, so hopefully, White can stay healthy in 2026 and be a valuable depth piece.
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