The San Francisco 49ers have already lost wide receiver Michael Crabtree for what could be the entire season and now the team is dealing with another serious injury, as cornerback Chris Culliver has torn his ACL and he likely will miss the season.
ESPN.com reported the news and said the Culliver tore his left ACL in training camp practice and while surgery has not been set, he will likely miss the entire season now. Culliver was carted off after suffering the injury while covering a punt in a non-contact drill and he could be seen grasping his left knee as he was taken off the field and now general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Jim Harbaugh must figure out how to make up for the loss.
The team nearly acquired Eric Wright before he failed his physical and now that deal looks like one that was necessary, as Carlos Rodgers, Tarell Brown, Nnamdi Asomugha and Tramaine Brock will need to step up now that Culliver is down. Culliver played a solid role in the secondary and now the other players will need to make up for the lack of depth as the team tries to make it back to the Super Bowl. The team already has lost Crabtree and linebacker Patrick Willis to injuries and the NFC West is dealing with a number of serious ones, as Percy Harvin might be out for the season after having surgery on his hip.
Culliver had solid stats last season while making two picks, 47 tackles and forcing one fumble last year and he was penciled in as the team's third of fourth cornerback after being taken from South Carolina in the draft in 2011. The team now will have to come back from these injuries and after showing what they could do last year, the 49ers should be prepared.
"What it means right now is there are some guys getting an opportunity to show what they can do, which is a positive there. And there's people who have been doing that," Harbaugh said.
