San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud out eight weeks with broken wrist

Tough news from the San Francisco 49ers’ camp as news broke Thursday morning out west that Niners’ kick returner and wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud sustained an injury that will keep him out for some time.

NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco had the report, which he tweeted out:

“Return specialist Ray-Ray McCloud will be out eight weeks due to a broken left wrist. He’ll undergo surgery, and that leaves the return job to start the season wide open.”

McCloud’s loss as a receiver hurts a little bit for depth purposes, but the loss of him as a punt and kick-off fielder is large, since the former Clemson receiver has made a name for himself as a return man during his time in the NFL, especially at his previous stop in Pittsburgh.

The Tampa native signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers ahead of last season, and he is entering his sixth year in the National Football League after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills.

McCloud credits Dabo Swinney for preparing him for NFL

McCloud recently appeared on “Getcha Popcorn Ready” on Fubo Sports with Terrell Owens and praised Dabo Swinney for helping him get to where he is today.

“Me and Coach Swinney are tight to this day,” McCloud said. “What you see, that’s what he is. What he is showing on his interviews and what people see who really don’t get to meet him, that’s who he really is. If he don’t like you, he’s going to let you know.”

It’s not that Swinney didn’t like McCloud, but he did feel like the speedster didn’t always play up to his potential. Swinney pushed McCloud to get better and work harder during practices.

“For me, I had a whole spring where the whole team was calling him my dad,” McCloud recalled. “‘Oh, your son is acting up Coach Swinney!’ And he was like, ‘Don’t worry about it. I’m not taking my foot out of his ass all spring.’ He used to tell people that and that is what really got me going.”

McCloud credits Dabo Swinney for helping him to develop as an all-around weapon.

“Every day, with every rep I’d take, he would sit back there with me for all 10 reps, after practice and during practice. He’d say, ‘We’ve got two minutes left in the fourth quarter – change the game. Treat this [rep] like there is 85,000 people in the stadium right now,’” McCloud recalled. “And every time I was back there – and even now when I practice – it’s rapid. He helped me get so much confidence and build a character back there, because you have to have a different ego back there.”