49ers Will be Without Starter Aaron Banks due to Injury

Starting left guard Aaron Banks will be missing in action at practice and is a tossup to be ready by Week 1 of the regular season.

January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers guard Aaron Banks (65) before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Another player on the San Francisco 49ers has been bitten by the injury bug.

This time it is starting left guard Aaron Banks. On Friday, Kyle Shanahan revealed that Banks suffered a broken finger and will need to have surgery for it. As a result, his status for Week 1 against the New York Jets is up in the air.

“He broke his pinky, had surgery this morning. We're hoping to have him back by Week One.” Shanahan said.

The offensive line of the 49ers has been a game of musical chairs since they opened up training camp. With Trent Williams' holdout and injuries to several players, the group has just been constantly shuffled. Jon Feliciano is week-to-week with a knee injury, Spencer Burford is recovering from a broken hand, and now this injury to Banks.

That is a total of four players who are missing on the offensive line that started last year. It is starting to be a concern with how the group will look when they play against the Jets. Offensive line cohesion is critical. Yes, these players aren't new to each other and it probably won't take that long for them to mesh.

But it is still something to keep an eye on and wonder if they will be fine. At this point, the 49ers need to wrap everyone in bubble wrap. The frequency rate when it comes to the injuries their players are receiving is unreal. The bright side to this is that Banks will not be out for a significant amount of time that puts more than Week 1 in peril.

If he is unable to go against the Jets, I'd imagine the 49ers would look to Feliciano to fill in.