The 49ers will be without their highest-paid cornerback on Sunday when they face the Buffalo Bills.
Deommodore Lenoir, who signed a five-year, $88.9 million contract with the 49ers on November 12, has a knee contusion and will miss the team’s next Week 13 road game.
“It’s kind of like a quad contusion, but it’s right on the bone, so it’s in that same area,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday. “It sort of behaves like one. I tried all week but couldn’t get it to go.” Lenoir sustained the injury last week in Green Bay.
He departed temporarily, then returned to finish the game. But once the adrenaline wore off, the agony must have been excruciating, given that Lenoir had not practiced at all this week.
Lenoir, 25, was the 49ers’ fifth-round selection in 2021. He’s one of the greatest slot cornerbacks in the NFL, allowing a quarterback rating of only 66.7 when targeted this season. That’s why the 49ers granted him such a big contract extension just a few weeks ago. He possesses a unique and rare skill set.
Fortunately for the 49ers, Charvarius Ward will be playing his first game since Week 8. He’ll most likely start opposite rookie cornerback Renardo Green, who is uncertain due to a neck ailment.
Assuming he plays, Green will most likely cover the slot receiver in the nickel defense, with Ward and Isaac Yiadom covering outside. Even without Lenoir, that’s a solid trifecta. Given that the game would be played in a blizzard, Lenoir’s absence may not jeopardize the 49ers’ prospects, as the contest could come down to run defense.
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