Tank Carradine to begin practicing, will return from injured reserve

The San Francisco 49ers plan to active defensive end Tank Carradine from injured reserve soon, head coach Kyle Shanahan said during a press conference on Wednesday. That means that Arik Armstead will remain on the list and will not return this season. Carradine’s practice window opens on Wednesday, and he should be able to take the field.

If Carradine practices, the 49ers have a couple weeks to make a decision on whether or not to activate him to the active roster. This makes it likely that he plays for the final five or six games of the regular season, though he won’t be in action against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Carradine was sidelined with a high ankle sprain and was placed on injured reserve in late September. It was a disappointing development, given that he was playing quite well at defensive end. Carradine has been in flux in San Francisco, and most felt his time with the team was coming to an end.

But if he plays well down the stretch, Carradine could easily be looking at a potential contract extension. I expect Carradine to play well, too, though playing well on such a bad defense may bring diminishing returns for most of the players on said defense. The 49ers wont want to commit to a big-dollar, multi-year deal.