John Lynch: 49ers center Ben Garland could be sidelined ‘a couple of weeks,’ Weston Richburg likely to PUP

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined Tim Kawakami's podcast at The Athletic and provided an update on some injuries that have impacted the center position along the offensive line. Ben Garland could be sidelined "a couple of weeks" with an ankle sprain suffered during Tuesday's practice.

Garland's injury allowed Daniel Brunskill to receive some first-team reps at center. Garland has been receiving the majority of the reps with starter Weston Richburg sidelined and likely to miss the start of the season. Lynch confirmed a report by Matt Barrows of The Athletic that Richburg would likely start the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list, which means missing the first six weeks of the regular season.

Richburg is attempting to return from the torn patellar tendon he suffered in December against the New Orleans Saints.

"That's a tough rehab," Lynch said. "It really is. We have to remember, he came off torn quadriceps the year before. So, you take all that into account, is it doable? Certainly. And Weston's on a good track. I think Matt's depiction is probably accurate. We're probably looking at a PUP situation where he can open his window after Week 6."

Garland entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos. He spent four seasons (2015-18) with the Atlanta Falcons, two of which were with then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who is now the head coach of the 49ers.

San Francisco signed Garland on April 23, 2019, and he started the final six games of last season, including the playoffs, following Richburg's injury.