Alex Boone expected to be in good shape when he reports, per LeCharles Bentley

The San Francisco 49ers are expected to welcome back offensive guard Alex Boone this week. We don't know when Boone will move back into the starting lineup, but there appears to be good news about his conditioning. Matt Barrows spoke with former offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley, who runs an offensive line training program in Cleveland. Bentley has been training Boone for several years now, and he said Boone spent six days a week at the facility.

Although it sounds like his conditioning is fine, we still are left to wonder if he is specifically in "football shape". I assume he will quickly pass his physical when he reports to camp, but there is more to getting back on the field than passing the physical. I suppose I am not the best person to comment on this having never played organized football, but I do think it could play into how quickly he is back in the starting lineup.

The upside to potentially waiting a week to get him back into the full-time starting role is the fact that the Dallas Cowboys field a fairly awful defense. They have lost numerous players to an already questionable unit. This does not mean Joe Looney would have a walk in the park, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is something to consider.