Jim Harbaugh discusses NaVorro Bowman's rehab progress

The San Francisco 49ers returned to the South Bay last night, and head coach Jim Harbaugh met with the media Monday afternoon. He ended up spending a lot of time answering questions about Ray McDonald's situation, but he did get a chance to address more pressing topics. Among those was the status of NaVorro Bowman.

Harbaugh said Bowman has been doing some cutting (which we heard about previously), and said the team could very well activate his 21-day window this week. He did not confirm this would actually happened, but simply said it was possible. The 49ers have until next Monday to get Bowman back on the practice field. Once he is on the practice field, they then have another three weeks to decide on his status.

This all means they could bring him back to game action anytime between now and Week 15. My guess is Bowman does not return to practice until next Monday. The 49ers are getting great play from Chris Borland, and Michael Wilhoite remains a solid option. They can afford to be extra cautious, knowing they have the three week window once Bowman dos return. By waiting until Monday, they would not have to activate him until the Monday after Week 14. That gives them one more game to figure out where they stand injury-wise, and saves the roster spot until then. Maybe Bowman gets into official practices this week, but I'll stick with next Monday as the likely date.