Not a whole lot of news coming out over the weekend, other than the mild furor of the Maclin release. Over the next five days, though, the team will convene for the four final days of OTAs, with a one day break on the seventh.
Everything published on Sunday was about Navorro Bowman, and for good reason. The linebacker is returning from yet another season-ending injury, finds himself a centerpiece of a new defense, and has stiff competition that has been added to the roster. It’s not entirely reassuring to see some of the cherry-picked video clips that show him to be a little slow to cut, and generally not reacting at a speed that he has in the past. Perhaps the break between OTAs and camp will allow him some time to rehab, but his performance when the pads go on will be under the proverbial microscope.
If there are any realistic scenarios in which Bo isn’t the day 1 starter, it’ll be due to injury complications impacting his performance. A few items to consider when talking about Bowman’s recovery are his age and injury history - at age 25, he tore his ACL & MCL (January 2014), and didn’t return to the field until September 2015. This last one took place at 28 (October 2016), and he has since turned 29. While he may still be in his prime, he’s starting to get up there in age. If getting back to 100% takes some extra time, I think it’s worth discussing whether or not rushing him back is a great idea, especially in a year where our chances of even reaching .500 are pretty dismal.
For those whose 49er mug is half full, he put together an excellent season in 2015 after missing the entire 2014 campaign. Hopefully he can match or exceed it!
Links ahoy
Bowman’s recovery & family life | Barrows, Sac Bee
[Video] Bowman doesn’t look to be 100% yet | Barrows, Sac Bee
[Podcast] On Lorenzo James, Bowman, Maclin rumors | Sacco, 49erswebzone