San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly was asked about ILB NaVorro Bowman today while speaking to the media. Kelly was asked if he has an opportunity to see Bowman around the building and how his rehab is going.
"Yeah, he's here every day for rehab," Kelly said. "he's doing a good job. He's in a boot still. I think he's off the crutches, but beyond that, he's still in the boot. Until he gets out of the boot and starts doing some things, he's still in that rehabilitation stage with the boot on his foot."
Kelly was asked what his interaction with the team is like right now. "Yeah, he's around," Kelly answered. "He's in the locker room every day. He comes in and rehabs. He's with the players on a daily basis."
On October 6, Bowman was officially been placed on the Injured Reserve list. He was injured on October 2 against the Cowboys. Bowman went down while rushing the line of scrimmage and immediately grabbed at his left ankle. He received attention from the 49ers' medical staff and eventually walked off of the field with a limp and some help from team trainers. He was later carted to the team's locker room.
An MRI on October 3 revealed the severity of the injury – a torn Achilles that would end his season. The injury came nearly 13 months after Bowman's return to the football field from a torn ACL and MCL.
Through nearly four games, Bowman had 35 tackles, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and two passes defended. Last season, he was in on 1,126 defensive snaps. 627 of those were against the pass while 499 were against the run. During that time, Bowman compiled 154 tackles – which led the league – 2.5 sacks, and two passes defended.
Through the first four games this season, Bowman was the team's highest rated player according to advanced statistics site Pro Football Focus.
