Season-ending surgery for 49ers’ tackle Brown
Beadles will take tackle’s place protecting Garoppolo in quarterback’s 1st home start
SANTA CLARA >> Jimmy Garoppolo’s first home start Sunday will come without right tackle Trent Brown, who has opted for seasonending shoulder surgery and a six-month rehabilitation.
Veteran Zane Beadles, typically an interior lineman, will start in Brown’s place for a second straight game and for a tough closing stretch against playoffcontending defenses, including Sunday’s matchup with the Tennessee Titans.
“Zane knows what to do, so there’s no added stress,” center Daniel Kilgore said.
The Titans’ 22 sacks in their past three games are the most in a three-game stretch in franchise history, including their Houston Oilers days. But the Titans (85) will be without their sack leader, Derrick Morgan, who is out a second straight game with a knee injury.
While Brown joins 21 others on injured reserve, coach Kyle Shanahan sees him as a key part to the 49ers’ future once he recovers from the shoulder surgery.
“Trent’s a very important part of this place in our future,” Shanahan said. “When you’re talking about a fiveor six-month injury, that’s something we want to get going as fast as possible, and I fully support his decision.”
Disappointed that Brown will miss the final four games, Shanahan noted that Brown’s Thanksgiving Day labrum injury did not improve, even though Brown returned for a Dec. 3 win at Chicago that marked Garoppolo’s starting debut at QB.
Brown was in his second full season as a starter. A 2015 seventh-round draft pick from Florida, he will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2018, making him eligible for an extension, one that might not pay as much in light of durability concerns.
“Trent has a chance to be very dominant at his position,” Shanahan said. “He made huge strides this year. By no means is he fully there. But he had a much better year than just watching him on tape the previous two years.”
Right guard Brandon Fusco is excited about lining up next to Beadles again.
“We’re both veterans. We won’t miss a beat,” Fusco said. “Trent’s special and we’re going to miss him, but Zane is going to come in and do a great job.”
Beadles said he knew by Thursday he was starting in Brown’s spot.
“The last little while here during the season I’ve kind of been up at all five positions and had to be ready for everything,” Beadles said. “Being able to just focus on one spot knowing that’s where I’m going to start and, knock on wood, we don’t have any injuries or anything, that’s where I’m going to stay, it definitely helps with the preparation.”
After the Titans, the 49ers (3-10) host the Jacksonville Jaguars — aptly nicknamed “Sacksonville” with a league-high 47 sacks. Finally, the 49ers end on New Year’s Eve at the Los Angeles Rams, whose 40 sacks trail only the Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers (41).
“It’s our chance to prove to ourselves what kind of team we want to be moving forward and really challenge ourselves against some great defenses,” left tackle Joe Staley said.
• Rookie cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon (knee) and Greg Mabin (calf) are gametime decisions, which likely will prompt the 49ers to promote Channing Stribling or Tyvis Powell from the practice squad Saturday, Shanahan said.
• Staley is a finalist for a third straight season for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, won last year by ex-49ers and current Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore. Said Staley: “I’ve been on the field for a while, so I’ve seen a lot of different players. I treat the game with respect and try to play the game the right way. Maybe that’s noticed.”
• The 49ers are expected to coach in next month’s Senior Bowl if they finish among the NFL’s two worst teams that do not undergo a coaching change. Mike Nolan and his 49ers staff coached the 2007 game that included their eventual top draft pick, Patrick Willis.