The San Francisco 49ers have been known for their defense in recent years. But they may need some help on that side with this latest injury.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, defensive end Glenn Dorsey has suffered a torn biceps and will miss the entire 2014 season:
49ers DT Glenn Dorsey is out for the year with a torn bicep, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2014
Dorsey is expected to undergo surgery on Monday and a more clear timetable will be known then. This is just another loss on the defensive side for a 49ers team with Super Bowl expectations coming into the season.
LB Navorro Bowman is still recovering from the torn ACL & MCL he suffered in the NFC Championship Game and it is unknown when he will be back. The 49ers also lost CB Tarell Brown and S Donte Whitner in free agency, though they did sign Antoine Bethea to replace the latter.
Then, of course, there is Aldon Smith, who has been involved in a number of off-field incidents this off-season, and could be facing a long suspension.
Losing Dorsey gives the 49ers losses at each level of the defense, and regardless of how good the coaching is, that will be difficult to replace. And the 49ers will have to figure it out quickly as their schedule does them no favors.
Their first five games all come against teams .500 or better last year in the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs.
