CINCINNATI — Joe Staley, the anchor of the 49ers' offensive line, broke his left fibula during Sunday's 41-17 win over the Bengals.

Staley will not be placed on season-ending injured reserve, and he could return in fewer than eight weeks.

#49ers Joe Staley has a broken fibula and it could be out around 8 weeks. Hopefully not an IR candidate

— Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) September 15, 2019

In fact, Staley told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco that he likely will be out six to eight weeks.

Joe Staley says he’ll likely be out 6 to 8 weeks with a broken leg fibula.

— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 15, 2019

Late in the third quarter, Staley went down on the field, and trainers attended to the stalwart left tackle close to the Bengals' bench. Maiocco reported that Staley appeared to be injured in a tangle-up with 49ers teammate Raheem Mostert. 

On the play in which Joe Staley got injured, he was blocking for Raheem Mostert. Mostert’s leg hit Staley’s left leg and bent it back into Staley’s right leg.

— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 15, 2019

Once Staley stood up after the play, he walked a few steps to the Bengals' sideline, putting very little weight on his left foot, and he was carted to the 49ers' locker room a few moments later.

Staley largely was injury free in his 12 previous NFL seasons, and he has mentioned that as long as he can play and remains healthy, he will keep suiting up for the 49ers. The front office also has vowed to keep Staley on the team for his entire NFL career.

Justin Skule, the 49ers' swing tackle, replaced Staley for the remainder of the game.

The rich reportedly could be getting richer.

Former Pro Bowl defensive end Ziggy Ansah met with the 49ers for a physical and coronavirus test Tuesday morning, NFL Media's Ian Rapaport reported, citing sources.

This is interesting: Former #Seahawks pass-rusher and current free agent Ziggy Ansah is going through a physical and COVID-19 testing with the #49ers, sources say. Nothing is done, but SF gets a first look at a potentially high-end edge talent.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 4, 2020

The 49ers boasted one of the NFL's strongest pass rushes last season, tying for fifth in the NFL with 48 sacks. San Francisco sacked opposing quarterbacks on 8.5 percent of pass attempts in 2019, good for third in the league. Quite a bit of that production went to Indianapolis when the 49ers traded defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (7.5 sacks in 2019) to the Colts earlier in the offseason, but Ansah is an intriguing flyer to help bridge that gap.

Ansah finished in the top 10 in sacks in 2015 (14.5) and 2017 (12.0), making the Pro Bowl in the former season. The 31-year-old recorded just 2.5 sacks last year with the Seattle Seahawks, and he has struggled to reach his previous injuries while battling multiple injuries. In that sense, Ansah would fit the mold of recently signed tight end Jordan Reed: Adding low-risk, high-reward depth and experience to a position of strength.

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The 49ers' reported interest in Ansah and fellow edge rusher Dion Jordan shows they think there's room to improve their pass-rushing depth.

Ansah isn't guaranteed to sign with the 49ers, let alone make the team in training camp. If he does and comes close to rediscovering his old form, the 49ers' already formidable pass rush could be even deeper in 2020.

[49ERS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]

While signaling last week that he would soon be signing a contract extension, 49ers general manager John Lynch made a parenthetical comment that attracted some attention.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be a lifer at this thing, but I love what we’re doing,” Lynch said during an appearance on KNBR’s Murph & Mac Show.

On Monday, Lynch said he was not foreshadowing his early exit. He said he fully intends to remain as 49ers general manager through the 2024 season. Lynch agreed an extension to remain with the club for five more seasons after a season in which he was named NFL Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.

“In terms of not being a lifer, I think I was just commenting, I don't know really how long I'll do this for,” Lynch said Monday on a video call with Bay Area reporters. “I know I'll do it for the next five years. I'm having a blast doing it. I love coming to work each and every day.

“When I said that, I kind of said 'Aw, no, that's going to become a story,' and really there's nothing to it.”

[49ERS INSIDER PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]

Lynch, 48, played 15 NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. He then worked as a TV analyst from 2009 through ’16. Lynch and his wife, Linda, have four children, two of whom are attending college.

“My wife has been tremendous when I played for 15 years and then traveled for broadcasting, but she loves this and they're a part of it,” Lynch said. “So everything's good right now. I kind of live in the moment, and that's nothing really to that comment.”

The 49ers have found a combination that works with Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan.

Coach Kyle Shanahan, who earlier in the offseason signed a contract extension through the 2025 season is a lock to set a personal record of living more than four years in one spot during his coaching career. Shanahan became the first 49ers coach to sign a contract extension since Steve Mariucci in 1999.

“I'll tell you, that was a huge accomplishment in our house to where it didn't hit me until we got it,” Shanahan said. “Me and my wife, she joined this when we got married at 25, and I never lived anywhere in my life longer than four years.

”My family kind of celebrated a little bit because the first time I told my kids, depending on how this year goes, but I feel like we're going to pass the four-year mark after that. That was a personal accomplishment for us, that the Shanahan household was happy with.”

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Shanahan, 40, never wanted to do anything in his professional life other than coach football. His father, Mike Shanahan, last coached in 2013 at the age of 61. But even Kyle Shanahan does not envision growing old in this job.

“None of us are lifers,” he said. “We don’t want to do it until we’re 80.”