Rookie 49ers WR Jacob Cowing Misses Practice with Pulled Hamstring
![May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing (83) runs drills during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing (83) runs drills during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2665,h_1499,x_0,y_62/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_49ers/01j3v7jj0r2g686htz1g.jpg)
What an unfortunate start to training camp for the 49ers rookies.
Fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing pulled his hamstring this week and missed Saturday's practice. It's unclear when he will return. Same goes for fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo who pulled his hamstring in practice earlier this week. First-round pick Ricky Pearsall pulled his hamstring away from the facility before training camp even began, but has a chance to practice on Monday after the 49ers take Sunday off.
Rookies have a hard enough time earning playing time even when they're fully healthy. If they suffer hamstring injuries in camp, they can fall behind the rest of the older players which makes it extremely difficult for the rookies to get on the field. These next few weeks are critical for Cowing and the rest of the injured rookies.
It's worth noting that the 49ers head trainer for the past few years recently left the organization to take a similar job with the Atlanta Hawks, so maybe the 49ers' training staff is in flux. Or maybe the hamstring injuries simply are a string of bad luck. But it makes you wonder when three rookies go down with essentially the same injury if they're being worked too hard.
Cowing and Pearsall in particular have a great opportunity to play with the starters during camp while Brandon Aiyuk holds in and waits for a contract extension. But neither has been able to stay on the field long enough to show the 49ers what they can do.