Not only did Kwon Alexander make a somewhat unexpected recovery from a torn pectoral, he made that recovery in an even quicker timeline than initially anticipated.
Alexander returned to practice on Tuesday in a limited fashion after participating in the team’s bonus practices over their playoff bye week. His early return was unexpected, and head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters prior to Tuesday’s session that the linebacker’s return to action wasn’t necessarily expected at all when he went down on Oct. 31.
“I was told long ago that maybe there was an outside chance he could be ready for the Championship Game,” Shanahan said. “That’s what I’ve gone with in my mind. Kwon has been trying to get back since the day after he was hurt. He’s been trying to prove us wrong on that. He’s more ahead of schedule, a week ahead of schedule than we anticipated. He’s been cleared by the medical staff. Now it’s just about how he looks out on the field, things like that. We’ll have a padded practice tomorrow that will help give us a little bit better idea.”
Typically a torn pectoral is a season-ending injury, and the prevailing thought was that the 49ers would be without their starting Will linebacker for the duration of their season – regardless of how long it lasted.
Rumors of Alexander’s possible return surfaced when 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne posted a video on Instagram of the linebacker working out at the team facility. Bourne also told 95.7 The Game in San Francisco that Alexander was telling his teammates he planned on playing in the playoffs.
Texans star defensive end JJ Watt’s return for Houston’s wild card game only strengthened momentum behind the rumors that Alexander could make an appearance for the 49ers in the postseason. Watt suffered a torn pec four days before Alexander.
It’s worth noting San Francisco still hasn’t officially activated Alexander off Injured Reserve. Doing so will mean cutting a member of the 53-man roster to make room.
Since Alexander has been cleared, Shanahan said the decision to play him and how much to play him will be up to the coaching staff. They may insert him into the starting Will spot right away, which was previously occupied by Dre Greenlaw, and move Greenlaw back to Sam linebacker. Or they could use Alexander at Sam, or use him situationally at Will.
There are a slew of options at their disposal now that Alexander’s been cleared, and we likely won’t know how much they plan to use him until game day. The most important thing for the 49ers will be that Alexander suits up and is healthy and available. He quickly became a valuable piece of their defense, and having him for the postseason would be a huge lift to that entire unit.