Tarell Brown injury update: 4-6 week timeline discussed

This past week, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown made his return to practice for the first time since suffering what was described as a rib injury against the New Orleans Saints. Brown sat out practice for Week 12 and 13, and then was limited in Week 14. Brown ended up inactive against the Seattle Seahawks as he continues his return from the injury.

Brown apparently spoke with the media sometime last week, discussing is current status. According to Matt Maiocco, Brown said the 49ers told him not to disclose the exact nature of his injury. He said it was simply an internal injury, but he did say it was diagnosed as a 4-to-6 week injury.

Based on that timeline, Brown would seem likely to miss at least one more game. The 49ers remaining schedule features Week 15 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Week 16 at home against the Atlanta Falcons and Week 17 at the Arizona Cardinals. My guess is Brown is back for the Cardinals game, although that is as much a guess as anything. I generally am more inclined to think the recovery timeline will go long than short, but maybe he gets back sooner than that.

For now, Carlos Rogers and Tramaine Brock remain the starters, while Eric Wright is the nickel back. Wright suffered a head injury on Sunday but returned after a few plays. Darryl Morris got in three plays on defense, so it's good to know the team is at least a little bit comfortable with him in an emergency.