Solomon Thomas has ‘low-grade MCL sprain,’ will miss limited time, per report

The San Francisco 49ers appear to have dodged a bullet with Solomon Thomas’s knee injury. The rookie defensive lineman left Week 9 with a knee injury that Matt Maiocco described as an MCL sprain. Ian Rapoport is now describing it as a “low-grade” sprain that will cost him “limited time.”

An MCL sprain is technically still a version of a tear, but it’s a partial tear as opposed to a full tear. There are three grades to a sprain. The lowest grade of sprain can require a few days to a week and a half of recovery. The 49ers likely will be cautious with the injury, but based on the description, I would hope this won’t cost him more than one or two games.

In the meantime, Leger Douzable and Tony McDaniel will continue seeing extensive playing time. Douzable in particular stepped up in a big way this past week at defensive end. This was his second start since Arik Armstead was lost for the season. Douzable has bounced around the NFL, but seems to have settled into a solid role in Robert Saleh’s defense.