Quinton Dial might have sprained MCL, per Cam Inman

Fooch’s update: Chip Kelly said Dial will sit out vs. Chargers, but he anticipates having him back for Week 1.

There has been some question about Quinton Dial’s injury status, and thankfully user djsfield pointed something out in our bubble watch that I missed in the weekend’s hubbub. Cam Inman tweeted over the weekend that he was hearing Dial might have a sprained MCL. Dial had an MRI but there has been no official word on his status. My guess is Chip Kelly announces something during his press conference later today.

An MCL sprain is actually a form of a tear, and there are varying degrees of severity. There are grade I, II, and III level sprains. Socalisteph discussed them a few years back after Mike Iupati suffered such a tear. A grade I tear of the MCL can sideline a player a few days, up to a week or so. A grade II tear can take 2-to-4 weeks to heal, and get the player back in action. A grade III tear can cost the players months, as socalisteph stated it takes 4-to-6 weeks before the player can even bear weight.

If it is indeed an MCL sprain, then Jennifer Lee Chan’s picture from practice would suggest it cannot be grade III. Although he is wearing a knee brace, he is bearing weight on it.

That would suggest a grade II injury, although I suppose it could end up being grade III. However, if it is grade II, two weeks from Friday’s game against the Packers would be the Friday leading up to the 49ers Monday Night Football season opener. Four weeks from Friday’s game would be the Friday leading up to the 49ers Week 3 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The Carolina Panthers road game falls in between those two.