SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers are concerned linebacker Malcolm Smith, one of the team’s most coveted additions in free agency, might have suffered a significant injury Saturday during practice inside Levi’s Stadium.
Smith, 28, left the field during full-team drills with an apparent upper body injury after working with the starters throughout training camp next to All-Pro NaVorro Bowman in the new-look defense.
KPUG EDIT: ESPN and ESPN.com are reporting that Smith’s pectoral injury were confirmed Saturday, when an MRI revealed a tear that could end the linebacker’s season.
Smith, the MVP of Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning team in the 2013 season, was brought in by San Francisco on a five-year contract in March. He rejoined new coordinator Robert Saleh, who was an assistant on that Seahawks team. Smith was expected to help transition to the new 4-3 scheme that’s similar to what he ran with Seattle.
Confirming that #49ers LB Malcolm Smith has in fact suffered a torn pectoral muscle. The team wishes Malcolm all the best in his recovery.
— Bob Lange (@BobLangeEagles) August 6, 2017
If Smith is sidelined, it may expedite first-round pick Reuben Foster’s insertion into the starting lineup. Foster, 23, fell to the 31st selection in the NFL draft after he was widely expected to be a top-10 pick.
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