Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
SANTA CLARA – When Shon Coleman went down on the 49ers’ fourth play from scrimmage, there was little doubt that he had just suffered a severe injury. Every 49ers player on the field took a knee almost instantly as the team’s training and medical staff attended to Coleman, quickly putting his leg in an air cast before helping him onto a cart and driving him down the tunnel for further evaluation.
When the game was over, Coleman, a swing tackle who was the clear No. 3 tackle behind Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey, was wearing a large wrapped cast around his right leg from just below his knee around his foot, while resting that leg on the cushion of a hand scooter, which he used to wheel through the 49ers’ locker room.
There were reports on Saturday from Eric Branch of San Francisco Chronicle and Matt Barrows of The Athletic that the team believed the injury would prove season-ending, and those fears were borne true on Sunday. The 49ers confirmed that Coleman suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle on the play and underwent surgery to repair both injuries Sunday morning, meaning his season is likely over.