This sucks. This sucks a whole lot. NaVorro Bowman has suffered a ruptured Achilles and he will be placed on injured reserve. He will have surgery on the injury, and this marks the end of his 2016 season. The injury was confirmed on Monday in an MRI.
This is a brutal loss in so many ways. Bowman is the emotional leader of this team, and a key cog on defense. He returned from a 2014 injury in which he all but shredded his knee in the NFC Championship Game. He missed the 2014 season, but returned in 2015 and earned All Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
There is no specific timeline yet, but we can look at some recent examples to at least get a hint at what kind of timeline he faces. A year ago, running back Arian Foster suffered a torn Achilles on October 25, and wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. suffered a torn Achilles on November 1. Both players opened the season on the Active/PUP list. Foster was activated from the list on July 31, and Smith was activated on August 17. So, Bowman realistically could be back in time for training camp next year.
I highly recommend you give socalisteph’s 2013 Michael Crabtree Achilles tear article a read when you get a minute. It provides a lot of useful context on the injury.