49ers OL Vederian Lowe has a high-ankle sprain; Christian Kirk has a calf strain

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 28: Vederian Lowe #59 of the New England Patriots during the game against the New York Jets on December 28, 2025 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Chris Foerster spoke for Kyle Shanahan on Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers. Foerster was mum about injuries. Two free agents the 49ers signed this past offseason, Vederian Lowe and Christian Kirk, didn’t make it through practice.

Foerster didn’t say anything about Kirk. Foerster spoke about Lowe, who suffered some type of ankle injury: “We’ll see. It’s his ankle. We’ll see exactly what it is. With all the injuries, I know Kyle [Shanahan] goes through the report. I’m not doing that. We’ll see. Hopefully, he’s not that bad.”

Rookie Enrique Cruz Jr. filled in for Lowe. Foerster had positive things to say about Cruz Jr.:

“Yeah, Enrique’s been a real plus. Everybody in the building’s pleased with him. People come up out of nowhere from all over the building and say, ‘Gosh, that Enrique’s doing a really nice job.’ He’s really professional, really working on it. He has a learning curve, like all the young guys do. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s done all the right things to this point.”

Cruz Jr. wasn’t the only player who didn’t make it through practice. Newly signed wideout Christian Kirk walked off with the trainers midway through practice.

Unfortunately for Kirk, injuries are nothing new for him. He dealt with hamstring injuries that caused him to miss the first couple of games of the 2025 season, before later re-aggravating those. With Jacksonville in 2024, Kirk had groin and core muscle injuries. We’ll see if the injury ends up keeping Kirk out for an extended time, but there is no guarantee that he makes the roster.

He’s on a one-year deal. The 49ers would eat $2.78 million by releasing Kirk, but, as the saying goes, you cannot help the club from the tub.

Foerster did have glowing reviews for a couple of the other receivers. Here’s what he said about Mike Evans: “Man, I love having him out there. The guy’s obviously he’s a real pro. His skillset and the things he does well are going to add so much to our football team. We saw a play today in the red zone in OTAs. There’s just so many places where Mike’s going to help our football team and I’m very excited to have him.”

The red zone will be the No. 1 place where Evans’ presence will be felt. Brock Purdy’s margin for error is sky-high when targeting Evans. Foerster also spoke highly about rookie De’Zhaun Stribling:

“He’s awesome, man. He’s phenomenal. He’s everything that I think we thought he would be and more when he came out. Just mature, strong, fast, physical, understands the game, lines up the formations, very professional about things. He’s been so good and everything we thought he could be. It’s really nice to see.”

The team isn’t wearing any pads yet, but it shouldn’t take long for Stribling’s presence to be felt.

Kyle’s update, 10:21 a.m. PT: Matt Maiocco tweeted that Vederian Lowe has a high-ankle sprain and will miss extended time. Wide receiver Christian Kirk officially sustained a calf strain. Rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton has a knee bone bruise, while defensive lineman Andrew Farmer has a back injury. Neither player will practice today.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →