The Washington Commanders traded defensive end Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a third-round pick, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

The move cuts ties with their most productive pass rusher this season and signaled a change in direction for the franchise.

It was around this time last year that the 49ers found themselves in a difficult spot heading into their bye week.

The Chiefs had just beaten them soundly at Levi's Stadium to drop to 3-4 on the season. But the biggest solution to that team's problems was already in the building. The Niners acquired running back Christian McCaffrey in a blockbuster trade a couple days earlier with the idea that he could spark a second-half run. He did, and the Niners ripped off 10 straight wins to close the season.

Though the Niners are likely to be active in the search for outside help, coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear Sunday afternoon that another McCaffrey isn't walking through that door. Which means improvement must largely come from within, a process that will begin with plenty of self-reflection over the bye week before the Niners play the Jaguars on Nov. 12.

Like a perfect game in baseball, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has tried his best not to talk about his streak of consecutive games scoring a touchdown. But he will undoubtedly be asked about it again Sunday evening.

That's because McCaffrey made a little bit of history against the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi's Stadium, scoring a touchdown in his 17th consecutive game. That ties him with Lenny Moore, the Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame running back/receiver, for the longest streak in NFL history. Moore's streak stretched over the 1963 and 1964 seasons.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has cleared the concussion protocol, the team announced Saturday afternoon.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that if Purdy passed the final step of the protocol, as the team hoped, he would "definitely" start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

"To me that wasn't a decision because how he's been throughout this week," Shanahan said. "And now that's why he's going to have a chance."

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has not yet cleared concussion protocol, but there is still a realistic chance he will start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Purdy went into concussion protocol early Tuesday after feeling symptoms on the team's plane ride home from Minnesota late Monday night. Since then, Purdy has passed four of the league's five steps in the concussion protocol.

That has allowed Purdy to participate in practice on a limited basis Thursday and then be full go in Friday's session. 

Brock Purdy has entered the NFL's concussion protocol. 

Purdy took a blow from Jordan Hicks' helmet on a quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter of the San Francisco 49ers' loss on Monday to the Minnesota Vikings.

Sam Darnold will start at quarterback for the 49ers if Purdy is not cleared.

All signs point to San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey playing Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

McCaffrey officially is listed as questionable for the game after suffering an oblique injury during last Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Browns. The two-time Pro Bowler returned to practice as a limited participant Saturday after missing the two previous workouts and said afterward that he felt "great."

After a week of waiting and wondering which of their three injured stars would be available for Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan offered a mixed bag of outcomes on Saturday afternoon.

The worst news first: Niners receiver Deebo Samuel has a hairline fracture in his shoulder and has been ruled out for "Monday Night Football." Shanahan said that Samuel will miss at least the next two weeks leading into San Francisco's Week 9 bye.

Christian McCaffrey has avoided a long-term injury and could be cleared to play on Monday against the Minnesota Vikings.

McCaffrey suffered an oblique/rib injury in Sunday's loss at the Cleveland Browns and underwent an MRI on Monday.

McCaffrey has rushed for 553 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground to go with 23 catches for 177 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel departed Sunday's 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns late in the first quarter with a shoulder injury. Already without Samuel, the Niners also lost running back Christian McCaffrey in the second half to an oblique injury.