The San Francisco 49ers are placing Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman on injured reserve, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. The exact injury that Sherman is dealing with, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, is a calf strain and with a few weeks of rest and rehab he should be ready to return. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network relays that this is simply a flareup related to an injury Sherman — who tore his Achilles tendon in 2017 — has dealt with in the past and overall doesn’t sound too serious.

Under the new injured reserve rules for the 2020 season, players only have to stay sidelined for three weeks before being eligible to come off IR. Given the minor characterization reported around Sherman’s injury, it would appear that he may be ready to roll once those three weeks are up. Next up on the schedule, the 49ers will travel to New York for matchups with both the Jets (Week 2) and Giants (Week 3) and will then travel back to Levi’s Stadium to host the Philadelphia Eagles. In Week 5, the Miami Dolphins come to town.

In Sunday’s opening loss to the Cardinals, Sherman — who is playing in his 10th season in the NFL — played in 95% of the 49ers defensive snaps and totaled four tackles on the afternoon. He was also the fifth-highest graded player on San Francisco’s defense, according to Pro Football Focus, earning a 68.8 grade for Week 1.

While it looks like the 49ers have dodged a major bullet with Sherman, they have been a little snakebitten to start the 2020 season as it relates to injuries. Along with Sherman, receiver Deebo Samuel (foot) has started the year on injured reserve, promising rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) missed Week 1, and star tight end George Kittle’s status is in question for Week 2 after suffering a knee injury in the opener. Not the ideal start for the reigning NFC champions.

—CBS SPORTS