The San Francisco 49ers have already become far too familiar with the injury bug just two weeks into the regular season.
Already absent for some (or all) of the Niners' 2025 campaign thus far include quarterback Brock Purdy (toe), tight end George Kittle (hamstring) and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee), and the injury list hasn't exactly gotten better since the regular-season kicked off on Sept. 7.
And things appeared to get much, much worse early in the Week 2 road victory over the New Orleans Saints when fullback Kyle Juszczyk was noticeably absent from the offense midway through the first half.
Shortly thereafter, he was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the contest with what Fox Sports' broadcast team reported as a concussion.
If there were some positives, the versatile fullback was seen greeting his teammates in the tunnel postgame, which is a good sign. Then, a day after the 26-21 victory, Juszczyk's wife shared on Instagram that "Kyle's doing okay."
Good.
Kyle Juszczyk's injury updates from Kyle Shanahan are good news for 49ers
On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters on a conference call, providing positive updates regarding his perennial Pro Bowl fullback.
#49ers HC Kyle Shanahan spoke to Kyle Juszczyk last night and he seemed good, but the fullback must clear the league's independent protocol to be cleared to play.
— Jennifer Lee Chan -all platforms: @jenniferleechan (@jenniferleechan) September 15, 2025
Juszczyk, of course, will have to clear protocol through the league's independent neurological consulting program. But the early indications are positive, which stand in contrast to the concern when he was immediately ruled out after exiting Sunday's tilt.
If all goes well, the veteran could return as soon as the Niners' Week 3 home showdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
It's certainly a plus, considering Juszczyk was seen as an important piece of the offensive puzzle, particularly in light of Kittle landing on injured reserve after Week 1 and being poised to miss at least four weeks of action. Juszczyk had been attending tight end meetings during the offseason, so the expectation was for him to take up some of Kittle's slack in the interim in addition to the fullback's regular duties.
While Juszczyk is nowhere close to delivering the kind of production Kittle has offered over the years, at least the former's imminent return is a good sign toward bridging the gap between Week 3 and the latter's stint on IR.
And for all the other things Juszczyk does, too.