The San Francisco 49ers will likely have running back Carlos Hyde back for the regular season opener as he progresses through the concussion protocol. Hyde suffered the injury in last Friday’s game against the Green Bay Packers. According to Matt Maiocco and Matt Barrows, he has returned to non-football activity, which is part of the concussion protocol.
The league’s protocol requires a player be asymptomatic before returning to any activity. They then must be asymptomatic after non-football activity. They must then be asymptomatic after football activity and a contact test. Once that happens, they can return to a game. Some players get through the protocol within a single week, while others take longer.
Hyde technically could be cleared for Thursday’s preseason finale, I believe, but I highly doubt that happens. A lot of starters are already expected to rest, and there is no reason to play Hyde in that game. That will give him over two weeks between his concussion and when he might return to game action.