GETTY Defensive end Dee Ford #55 , middle linebacker Kwon Alexander #56 and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate a sack during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 31, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona.
The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with injury after injury over the past year, and that trend has not exactly let up since they kicked off training camp one week ago.
However, while players on both sides of the ball have been sidelined a little more than a month ahead of the start of the regular season, many of them are secondary or tertiary pieces. When it comes to the big Niners names that went down last year and derailed the team’s defense of its 2019 NFC Championship, San Francisco’s luck is actually looking up.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is performing like the best version of himself, as rookie Trey Lance pushes a QB competition in camp. Raheem Mostert is back zipping speedily around the practice field as a stable of running backs threaten to usurp his starting role should he again suffer major injuries like he did in 2020. But perhaps nowhere is the Niners change of injury fortune more evident than on the defensive line.
Nick Bosa, who will terrorize opposing signal callers if his performance during his rookie season is any indication, has been looking tough for months in a return from a torn ACL. His pass rushing compatriot, Dee Ford, also returned to full pads and team drills this week after being sidelined nearly an entire year with various back and neck injuries.
“He ran by me a bunch of times,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Ford in practice this week. “So when I saw him walking in, I told him to quit teasing me like that because he looked like the Dee Ford I remember. So hopefully he can keep that up and (we) can be smart with him as we go.”
Ford’s Return Timeline Was Uncertain For Months, But Improved in Recent Weeks
GETTYDee Ford and Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after a sack of the quarterback against the Cleveland Browns during the second quarter of an NFL football game at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 7, 2019, in Santa Clara, California.
Linebacker Fred Warner appeared on the KNBR Papa and Lund Podcast Friday, July 23, where he shared the latest on Ford’s recovery from the bevy of injuries that sidelined him for almost all of last season.
“Yeah, Dee, he’s great,” Warner said after he was asked about Ford’s progress. “He looks great. He’s back. I’ve seen him plenty, and he’s been working his tail off. I know the type of player that he is, and the fact that he’s back healthy is going to give us a huge advantage, so I’m really excited about seeing him back.”
With debilitating injuries like those plaguing Ford, getting back to 100 percent mentally is often as, or more, difficult than the necessary aspects of physical recovery. Warner said Ford has got that covered.
“I know his mind is right,” Warner added. “His mentality is exactly what we need for the defense.”
Return of Vaunted Niners Pass Rush Could Mean Return to Glory
Getty49ers pass rusher Dee Ford.
Should both Ford and Bosa take the field in Detroit on Sept. 12 when the Niners travel to battle the Lions, the prospects for the new season will improve to the point that hopes of a return to the Super Bowl in 2021 become warranted.
While Ford’s return date remains a bit of a question mark, Bosa is expected to suit up Week 1. After a stellar rookie season, the elite pass rusher tore his ACL in Week 2 against the New York Jets, following Ford to the sidelines.
With the return of both Ford and Bosa on the horizon, an elite pass rush could anchor a Niners defense hungry to get back to business after a year plagued by injury up and down the roster.