Disheartening injury:

49ers fear cornerback Jason Verrett, a team leader, tore his ACL.

DETROIT — Injuries are part of the NFL, of course, and perhaps no team is more familiar with attrition than the 49ers.

Still, the group that led the NFL in injured-reserve transactions in 2020 began the 2021 season unable to effectively deal with the emotional hurt after what happened midway through the fourth quarter Sunday. Cornerback Jason Verrett, 30, a resilient, highly respected leader who has endured a laundry list of severe leg injuries, left the game with what the 49ers fear is a torn ACL.

After their No. 1 cornerback went to the sideline, a large group of concerned players talked with him. Then Verrett,

DE Nick Bosa: He had a sack, two other tackles for losses and two QB hits in his first game in 357 days. A good sign for the 49ers: He said he wasn’t happy with his performance.

WR Trent Sherfield: His impressive training camp earned the 2018 undrafted free agent the No. 2 role ahead of 2020 firstround pick Brandon Aiyuk. He had two catches for 23 yards, including a 5-yard TD.

DE Dee Ford: He manhandled backup Lions’ RT Matt Nelson on several snaps, collected a sack and was in Jared Goff’s lap when the QB threw a pick-six.