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The San Francisco 49ers head into their mandatory minicamp with most if not all of the roster expected to be in attendance. While we'll have as many as 90 49ers players in Santa Clara, plenty will not be participating. Minicamp does not allow contact work, and there is no real need to potentially aggravate injuries in non-contact work.
Matt Maiocco put together a full rundown of the 49ers injured players. I wanted to take that list and expand a bit on the various players. Although we are talking about non-contact drills, for some of the younger players, every extra snap in practice can only help them.
I thought I'd break this down a bit based on how long players may or may not be on one of the available injury lists. If you missed it yesterday, socalisteph put together a thorough breakdown of the various injury designations.
Likely to spend training camp on PUP/NFI lists
Michael Crabtree
Marcus Lattimore
Mario Manningham
We know Crabtree is out with an Achilles tear, and he will spend training camp and a good chunk of the regular season on the PUP list. Marcus Lattimore is virtually a lock to spend training camp on the non-football injury list. He is likely to stay on the list through the regular season, but if he shows that he is especially spry, he could still end up on the 53-man roster at some point. I suspect he remains out the entire season.
Mario Manningham will likely start training camp on the PUP list, but beyond that it's hard to tell what the regular season holds for him. His status at the end of training camp could depend in part on how the 49ers other receivers are faring. If the 49ers think he's close to 100% and Jenkins, Patton, etc. are struggling, they could activate him. I suspect he is most likely starting the season on the PUP list.
Potential to open training camp on PUP, but status a bit unknown
Luke Marquardt
The 49ers signed Marquardt as an undrafted free agent coming off foot surgery before the draft. Marquardt has the size of an NFL offensive lineman, but he played at a lower level in college and has plenty to learn before facing the best football players in the world. I really think the 49ers stash him on the NFI list for the season, rather than try and slide him through waivers to the practice squad.
Potential to start on PUP/NFI, but quickly move off PUP/NFI
Cornellius Carradine
Kendall Hunter
Kyle Williams
A player can join the PUP list at the start of training camp, but once he participates in practice, he is no longer eligible for the PUP list. The 49ers sometimes place a player on the PUP list to start training camp, but activate him within a day or two once it is clear there have been no setbacks. I suspect Tank Carradine, Kendall Hunter and Kyle Williams will be three such players.
Carradine and Williams tore their ACLs within a day of each other. Williams tweeted out a picture of a green light, as it sounded like he got good news from the doctor last month. He mentioned at the Super Bowl that he could be ready for OTAs, but the doctors wanted him to wait until training camp. I suspect we'll see him activated quickly.
As for Carradine, we don't know his status since he has only been with the 49ers since late April. ACL recovery differs from player to player, but given the similar time of the injury, I figured I'd include Carradine in with Williams.
Hunter tore his Achilles on the same play in which Williams tore his ACL. An Achilles injury is a tough recovery process, but it sounds like Hunter is expected back for training camp. He has said he'll be ready and sharp when the time comes. It will be interesting to see if he potentially spends a little more time on the PUP list early on, or if he is activated at the same time as Kyle Williams.
Offseason surgery
Quinton Dial
Mike Iupati
Aldon Smith
Justin Smith
Joe Staley
The 49ers had several players undergo surgery at various points this offseason. I would bet good money this is not a comprehensive list, as the 49ers do their best to keep the information under the radar. These are the five we know had surgery at the end of their respective seasons.
For those who were not aware, Dial had toe surgery in January following the close of Alabama's season. Maiocco is reporting Dial has a good chance of being back at the start of training camp.
Mike Iupati and Aldon Smith each had shoulder surgery, while Justin Smith had his torn triceps repaired, and Joe Staley had an arthroscopic procedure on his knee. At this point, all are expected to be ready when training camp opens late next month.
Slightly unknown
Ahmad Brooks
Darius Fleming
Cameron Morrah
Ahmad Brooks was dealing with a shoulder injury late in the season and has sat out OTAs. Maiocco thinks he's expected to be ready for training camp. I include him in the slightly unknown category because of the general lack of discussion about his injury status. There have been no reports of detail, so we're left to wonder what exactly is going on. It sounds like rest was the key, but we'll see when training camp opens.
Fleming tweaked his knee last week at OTAs. It was the same knee in which he suffered an ACL tear last year. The 49ers have not updated his status, and Fleming tweeted out "Say a quick prayer for me y'all". That could mean nothing or everything, so we're left to wonder.
Morrah apparently sustained a left leg strain during OTAs, and per Maiocco, his availability is "uncertain". I suspect he'll be back in time for training camp, but missing practice time is not going to help his chances of unseating Garrett Celek as the No. 3 tight end.
Limited issues
Frank Gore
LaMichael James
Carlos Rogers
According to Maiocco, Frank Gore and Carlos Rogers have spent time working in the weight room, but did not participate in on-field drills. No injury was cited, but it could be a matter of just getting them back to 100% from general wear and tear from 2012. The 49ers and Ravens did not get to start their offseason until February, after the Super Bowl, so the wear and tear took a little longer to clean up. For some of the veterans, it makes sense to give them time to get ready for training camp and the rigors of the 2013 season.
LaMichael James reportedly suffered a minor hamstring strain last week, but per Maiocco, he did some work fielding kickoffs. It sounds like it's not a big deal, and he should be good to go.