Earlier this month, the San Francisco 49ers placed defensive end Demarcus Dobbs on injured reserve due to an injury to his knee. Initially, Coach Harbaugh indicated he thought the team had dodged a bullet. Then Dobbs was placed on IR, and most reports were not overly optimistic.

Well, it sounds like we have some good news, courtesy of Demarcus Dobbs. According to Eric Branch, Dobbs said that his knee injury will not require surgery. He apparently thought he had completely torn the major ligaments in his knee, but now it appears he only sustained partial tears of his PCL and MCL. While that is obviously not a good thing to have happen, given the alternative, this is very good news.

This has no bearing on the 2012 season, but given what could have been, this is great news for 2013. Dobbs led the team in special teams snaps, and has looked sharp in his preseason appearances at defensive end. The 49ers need to ensure they have enough depth on the defensive line, and having a healthy Dobbs heading into the offseason program is a big step in that direction.