It's easy to forget that Mario Manningham is still a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
The veteran wide receiver is working his way back from major knee surgery after tearing his ACL and PCL in a December loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Stashed away during training camp on the team's active/physically unable to perform list, Manningham was moved to the reserve/PUP list, coach Jim Harbaugh announced Sunday. The designation means he'll miss at least the first six games of the season, making Manningham eligible to play Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans.
It's not a major surprise, but there was hope Manningham would rejoin team drills later this month. With his return delayed, Manningham won't be able to fill the void left by Michael Crabtree's Achilles injury, leaving the 49ers paper thin at the position.
Anquan Boldin has looked good catching passes from Colin Kaepernick, but there's no real answer across from him. Second-year man A.J. Jenkins -- who will be tested this week as a kick returner -- has drawn only lukewarm praise from Harbaugh.
Fourth-year man Marlon Moore has started across from Boldin in both preseason games, but the team would love for Jenkins to break out. Don't hold your breath. Unless Kyle Williams, Quinton Patton or Ricardo Lockette step it up, it's possible newly signed Austin Collie could start Week 1. This is one position battle that's far from over.
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