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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan discussed several topics with reporters on Tuesday in his first press conference of OTAs. At one point in the conversation, Shanahan mentioned that defensive end Dee Ford has been working at team facilities the entire offseason and made good progress rehabbing his back injury. Ford has dealt with chronic back and knee issues throughout his career, but per Shanahan, he could return to the field in training camp.
Ford has failed to make the impact in San Francisco many expected when the 49ers acquired him for a second-round pick from Kansas City two years ago. While Ford was a productive rotational pass rusher in 2019, recording 6.5 sacks in 11 games, he still only saw the field for 22 percent of the team’s defensive snaps that year. After missing nearly all of 2020 with another injury, his future in the Bay Area seemed uncertain.
However, after his contract was restructured this offseason, the organization has made clear that they believe he has a chance to contribute in the coming season.
Here is Shanahan’s full quote on Ford:
With Dee Ford, Dee Ford has been here since February. He’s been throughout this whole offseason, all the rehab, really made a lot of strides in this offseason together. Everyone knows the sensitivity of his injury with his back and stuff, but he’s been putting in a lot of work here and we feel it’s going the right direction. Last week we sent him home, because he had been here so long, to go back to his hometown, see his doctor and plan on coming back here in the next couple of weeks. But don’t expect to see him till training camp on the field.
This is a more optimistic projection than the one general manager John Lynch gave on Ford earlier in the offseason when he indicated the 30-year-old may not be ready for the start of the regular season. His potential return to the defensive line would give the roster a layer of depth it sorely lacks when he’s unavailable.
Training camp dates have not yet been announced.