Alex Smith concussion: QB cleared for non-contact drills

The San Francisco 49ers moved a step closer to getting Alex Smith back in game action on Wednesday as Cam the QB was cleared for non-contact drills. Early Wednesday afternoon, Adam Schefter reported sources indicated Smith had passed concussion tests and was in line to start on Monday against the Bears. Cam Inman followed up on that by reporting that Smith had been cleared to practice in non-contact drills. Although QBs already do not take hits in practice, Smith still wore the black no-contact jersey to further emphasize this.

The 49ers will produce their first practice participation report following Thursday's practice, which will provide a better glimpse at where Smith is at in his recovery. Last month, when Joe Staley suffered his concussion, he sat out the Monday after the game, then was limited Thursday and Friday. I suspect Smith will likely be listed as limited tomorrow, but we'll see how it pans out.

What will be interesting to see is if Scott Tolzien will be active next Monday if Smith can start. It was brought up earlier today in the comments and seems like an interesting topic even for a third QB. The 49ers have gone with strictly two QBs the last two seasons, so we'll see how much they are willing to risk with Kyle Williams as a potential emergency QB.