So far this season, Dee Ford has been slowed by a back injury that has caused him to miss two of the San Francisco 49ers’ first three games. And now, it appears the former Auburn standout won’t be back for at least a while.

On Wednesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Ford would be placed on injured reserve. The 29-year-old defensive end will be required to spend three weeks on the IR before being allowed to return to practice.

After playing at Auburn from 2009-13, Ford spent his first five NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2014-18 after getting selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was then traded to the 49ers in March 2019 in exchange for a second-round draft pick.

Last season, Ford had 14 tackles, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 11 games (two starts) in his first year in San Francisco. He had three tackles in the 49ers’ season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 13.

The 49ers don’t have their bye until Week 11, so perhaps Ford will be back in the fold before then.