SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers held about 30 starters and key players out of Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, but that didn’t prevent them from revealing news of a key injury.
Early in the second quarter of the game, Niners general manager John Lynch announced that wide receiver Trent Taylor, who was among San Francisco’s pregame inactives, suffered a foot injury and had a screw inserted into it during surgery on Friday.
Soon after, a Niners spokesman said Taylor has a fractured pinkie toe and had a small screw inserted in it during surgery on Friday. Taylor practiced on Thursday but complained of pain on the outside of his foot and had an X-ray soon after.
That X-ray revealed the fracture but not a full break, according to the Niners spokesman. Because it wasn’t a full break, the Niners and Taylor decided to take care of it before it got worse in hopes that it would shorten Taylor’s recovery time. Lynch added that the Niners hope Taylor will be able to return early in the season, though no specific timetable was offered, and Taylor will miss the rest of the preseason.
Taylor posted a tweet Saturday night saying he was “just missing a couple of games” but would “be back soon and better than ever.”
For Taylor, the injury comes on the heels of a disappointing 2018 season in which he played through the aftermath of back surgery that never really allowed him to get back to full speed. He followed a solid rookie season in 2017 in which he had 43 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns with just 26 receptions for 215 yards in 14 games last season.
In the first couple of weeks of training camp, Taylor, who was projected to be the team’s primary slot receiver, had emerged as a favorite target of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Taylor said recently he was feeling much better than a year ago.
“I feel good with where I’m at. But you know, every day is a new day to learn new things,” Taylor said on June 30. “And I know I still have a long ways to go to reach my full potential. So, it’s something that I’m just still constantly working at and ready to see what happens when the season gets here.
In a crowded receiver group vying for spots on the roster, Taylor had been enough of a standout that his teammates had taken notice of his improved quickness and productivity on the practice field.
“He had a tough season last year dealing with all those injuries,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “He wasn’t happy with how the whole year went. But there seems to be a connection between Jimmy and him. And he just seems to just be moving at another speed and just has an incredible feel for space on the field. That so many times it’s just him and Jimmy just kind of improvising where they have, you know, there’s the play design and it’s almost just a suggestion to those two. A lot of times they find something that maybe works a little bit better.”
With Taylor out, the Niners will have a group that includes third-round pick Jalen Hurd, veteran Jordan Matthews and second-year man Richie James Jr. vying for opportunities.