The San Francisco 49ers processed a transaction Wednesday afternoon, with rookie linebacker Jimmie Gilbert clearing waivers and reverting to the team’s injured reserve list. Gilbert tore his ACL in practice earlier this week, and the team used the waived/injured designation. The move happened Monday evening, after business hours, so it was not resolved until waivers ran today.
Any injury is disappointing, but Gilbert was an intriguing linebacker. He had been competing at the SAM role behind Ahmad Brooks and Eli Harold. His roster chances were relatively slim, but he had the talent to potentially claim a practice squad spot.
Of course, now he remains on the roster, just unable to practice with the team. With a torn ACL, he will remain on injured reserve the entire season, meaning it is unlikely we see an injury settlement. He can attend meetings, but during practice he either has to hang out on the sideline, or do his rehab work. Players return from ACL tears a bit more regularly than before, but it is still a tough injury, particularly at this point in the calendar. He has time to get ready for next year’s training camp, but there is a decent chance he will be doing mostly rehab and individual work in OTAs and minicamp next year.