The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with more injuries than just about any team this season, but wide receiver Jauan Jennings is doing his best to avoid adding to the list of absent players.
After the Niners’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Jennings told reporters that he’s playing through five broken ribs and both high and low ankle sprains.
Jennings missed last week’s game against the Los Angeles Rams and was questionable coming into Sunday’s contest because of ankle and rib injuries, which he later gave specifics about.
“You know playing with injuries, it’s part of it,” Jennings told reporters. “You got high and low ankle sprains. You got shoulders at 20 percent. Five broken ribs. It is what it is. You keep playing and nobody cares. Keep playing. That’s what we do.”
It was clear Jennings wasn’t playing at 100 percent on Sunday. He had no targets in the first half and finished with just one reception for seven yards in the 30-19 loss.
While Jennings’ presence wasn’t felt much on the field, it was felt on the sideline. The veteran got into a heated exchange with head coach Kyle Shanahan before halftime. When asked about the exchange, Jennings didn’t give specifics and told reporters to “ask (Shanahan).”
Shanahan downplayed the exchange and said he and Jennings are on good terms.
“Just intense, competitive conversation between two people at the end of the second quarter,” Shanahan said. “But we’re good.”
Jennings, who received a contract adjustment after threatening a trade request this offseason, has been mostly disappointing so far this season with just 136 receiving yards and a touchdown, but just having him on the field is valuable for a 49ers squad depleted by injuries.
San Francisco came into Sunday’s game missing Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and more, and the Niners lost arguably their best player, linebacker Fred Warner, to a season-ending ankle injury against the Bucs.