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The 49ers are into their second day of minicamp, and media availability includes head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Coach Fangio had some pretty important information for the media today:
Vic Fangio said draft picks Tank Carradine (knee) and Quinton Dial (toe) not expected back at the start of training camp.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) June 12, 2013
Carradine tore his ACL the day before Kyle Williams tore his. Quinton Dial had his toe surgery in January. While both have been in attendance at OTAs and minicamp, neither has been able to take the practice field thus far.
Fangio's revelation means both are likely to start training camp on the Non-Football Injury list. The NFI list operates in a similar fashion to the PUP list, with some salary differences. A player cannot practice and then be placed on the NFI list. The player can be removed once the team decides he is healthy enough to join the team in camp. If a player is not ready by the start of the season, they cannot practice for six weeks, in the same fashion as the PUP list.
This absence is a bigger deal for Dial than it is for Carradine. While Carradine isn't going to be handed significant playing time just like that, Dial faces a tougher battle as a guy whose primarily role is in run-stopping. The absence might be limited, but every lost practice snap hurts his chances.
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