It was worth a double take during the team’s first training-camp practice on Wednesday, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one at 49ers headquarters.Wait, was that Dee Ford running around out there?
With his 55 jersey and helmet on, he appears sprightly, animated, and possibly within a few weeks of playing in an NFL game for the first time in almost a year, and certainly the first time he has been near a live practice in much longer?
Well, it was. And nearby, bookend defensive end Nick Bosa, who appeared to be close to game speed, was also limited to individual drills and side work.
That is to say, it’s as explosive as hell.
So there they were: Bosa and Ford, who were both wiped out for almost all of 2020, bringing with them the majority of the 49ers’ fearsome pass rush, back in practice gear and enough to get 49ers people thinking about a return to defensive dominance.Kyle Shanahan, did you steal a few glimpses at Bosa and Ford working with blocking sleds and other specific sessions during other drills?
“A little bit,” Shanahan said after practice on Wednesday.
“I took a couple of looks.” Certainly, Bosa’s recovery from his ACL tear in September has always been more certain than Ford’s back/neck issue.
Bosa was expected to return in Week 1 at the very least.
Last season, Ford’s situation was hazy, with many of us assuming that such a difficult and long-term injury would lead to his eventual release.
