49ers drop major hint over status of injured player for Week 11 game with latest roster move

Several key players for the San Francisco 49ers left their narrow win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers nursing injuries. George Kittle (hamstring irritation), Renardo Green (toe) and Mitch Wishnowsky (back) emerged from that game with issues to monitor ahead of the Week 11 clash with the Seattle Seahawks. And the 49ers have dropped what appears […]

Nicholas McGee
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San Francisco 49ers punter Mitch Wishnowsky (3) is congratulated by fullback Kyle Juszczyk (left) after kicking a field goal against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Several key players for the San Francisco 49ers left their narrow win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers nursing injuries.

George Kittle (hamstring irritation), Renardo Green (toe) and Mitch Wishnowsky (back) emerged from that game with issues to monitor ahead of the Week 11 clash with the Seattle Seahawks.

And the 49ers have dropped what appears to be a major hint that punter Wishnowsky is likely to be absent for the visit of the Seahawks to Levi's Stadium.

The Niners have signed former Chicago Bears punter Pat O'Donnell to the practice squad while releasing defensive tackle T.Y. McGill. O'Donnell's agent Paul Sheehy had earlier reported the signing.

O'Donnell has averaged 45.1 yards per punt for his career with 36.4 percent of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line. He last played for the Green Bay Packers in 2022, averaging 44.5 yards per punt. Wishnowsky averaged 43.9 in that season.

This season, Wishnowsky has punted 22 times, with 11 downed inside the 20 and one blocked. The 49ers' total of 23 attempted punts is the lowest in the NFL.

His average of 45.2 is down from his 2023 career high of 47.7, while a drop-off from 42.7 net yards per punt last year to 36.3 this year is reflective of the huge problems the 49ers have endured in punt coverage this season. 

Those don't appear to be going away anytime soon. As such, if O'Donnell is indeed called into action on Sunday, he'll need to ensure he can pin the Seahawks deep and prevent opportunities for them to bridge the gap between the two teams with field-flipping returns.

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