The San Francisco 49ers are wrapping up their offseason workout program this week with mandatory minicamp, and wide receiver Trent Taylor is not expected to take part. Kyle Shanahan announced that Taylor underwent a back procedure this offseason. Per Cam Inman, the procedure was due to “wear and tear” suffered during the 2017 season.
Shanahan confirmed Taylor should be ready for training camp. It seems likely the team will place him on the Active/PUP list at the start of camp. This would reserve them the right to keeping him there if the injury persists. The moment he practices at training camp, the team can no longer use the PUP designation. He could be cleared within a day or two, or the team could take their team into the first week.
Shanahan did refer to the procedure as “minor,” so that would seem to bode well. Of course, when I hear someone refer to somebody else’s surgery as “minor,” I always snicker.
Taylor heads into camp as the front-runner at the team’s slot receiver position, but he could face some competition. Dante Pettis did not play a lot in the slot in college, but he is getting work there, as well as both outside receiving positions. Pettis and potentially D.J. Reed could both replace Taylor in the return game, so it will be interesting to see how Taylor’s role evolves in August.