San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly updated Carlos Hyde’s status in his press conference on Monday. He announced that Hyde’s knee injury is an MCL sprain and will not need surgery but the running back will still be unavailable for the game facing Seattle. Kelly continued saying, “The fact that it’s a non surgical thing is the thing that’s positive. It’s good news for Carlos.”
The play where Hyde was injured was a pass from quarterback Colin Kaepernick that floated through the air, Hyde was facing to the back field and he was hit low by a defender he didn’t see. When Kelly was asked about what happened on that play he explained:
I think Kap was pressured a little bit, it was a naked roll out and we slipped Carlos into the flat real quick and I think there was, a defensive end was up the field a little quick and Kap was trying to bump it out there quick. I don’t think it was exactly out in front of him so he kind of had to turn back to catch it.
Regardless, the prognosis is positive for Carlos Hyde, meaning that he should be able to heal and be able to participate in the off season program in 2017. Honestly at this point in the season, risking injuries to your star players is unnecessary.
In case you missed this earlier, the following is the recovery time for an MCL sprain according to the UCSF website.
- A minor, or grade 1, MCL tear can take from a few days to a week and a half to heal sufficiently for you to return to normal activities, including sports.
- A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal.
- A grade 3 tear usually takes from four to eight weeks to heal, unless it is associated with damage to the ACL, in which case the recovery time may be longer.
The remaining running backs on the roster are Shaun Draughn, DuJuan Harris and Mike Davis who will all likely be active for the final game of the season at home, facing Seattle.