The San Francisco 49ers entered phase two of the offseason workout program, and that means on-field drills. The team got a voluntary minicamp last week as part of having a new coaching staff, but this is the more formalized portion of the program. They’ll do this for three weeks, and then have OTAs.
The entire team is present for the work, but the most notable presence might be NaVorro Bowman. The 49ers linebacker tore his Achilles last fall, but he is back in action and appears to be a full participant. I don’t know what OTAs and mandatory minicamp will bring, but so far it seems like things are going well in his recovery.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was on KNBR Thursday morning, and he had a chance to discuss Bowman’s recovery. The excitement was palpable!
“I couldn’t be more excited with Bo than I am right now. I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve gone against him over the years and have the utmost respect for him as a player. Never knew him as a person, though. To get here, you know he’s been winning our drills out there, our shuttles — Ray [Wright, strength and conditioning coach] takes him through a lot of competitions, and just to come out there and watch him, he does not look like a guy coming off Achilles.
“I thought it would take him some time, I didn’t think he’d really be looking to himself until training camp. But man, when I go out there right now and watch him work, he looks a lot better than I was expecting this early. He’s put the time in, he’s put the work in, he didn’t just start here when we got all the players here. He started way before that. He’s been in here working since really before I was hired, and it’s showing. I’m happy for him because he’s put that time in, and he’s getting the payback on the field. Just watching him, the way he leads the group, I see him as a leader by example, and he’s been handling the group the right way from a vocal standpoint.”