Jimmy Garoppolo’s return from a torn ACL came with several significant hurdles. His 2019 offseason was consumed by rehab and relearning how to run, and the early part of his 2019 regular season was mired in less-than-stellar performances while he knocked the rust off after nearly a year away from the gridiron. One of the constants for Garoppolo in the season after tearing his ACL was a bulky knee brace he wore to stabilize his left knee. It sounds like in the early portion of camp Garoppolo is considering vacating that piece of equipment.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk on Tuesday spoke to 49ers media members in a video press conference and said Garoppolo has been going through the walk-through portion of training camp without the brace he wore all last season.
“It’s hard to say from an outsider’s perspective other than the fact that you see that he’s not wearing a brace. That’s the biggest thing that stands out to me,” Juszczyk said via the Sacramento Bee. “But I just know speaking as an athlete myself, when you don’t have to think about something, if something is not in the back of your mind and it’s not weighing on you, it relieves so much stress, so much pressure and you’re able to play so much more freely.”
There are a few reasons for optimism about Garoppolo going into the 2020 season. Quarterbacks tend to have more success during their second full season in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Less concern about his previously-injured knee should play a role as well.
Garoppolo’s first live game action against Denver in Week 2 of the preseason was a disaster, and his performances in the early portion of the season weren’t nearly as effective as his efforts late in the year with more games under his belt. It stands to reason that removing the knee brace and additional consideration for the well-being of his knee could give an added layer of versatility to Garoppolo’s game.
Of course, these are only walk-throughs to start camp where players aren’t hitting and wearing pads. The real test for Garoppolo will be whether he wears that brace in live practices, and just how confident he looks without it when there are bodies moving around him.
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