On Monday, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch told Steve Wyche of NFL Network that the team's goal is to have newly signed cornerback Richard Sherman on the practice field for training camp in late-July. He said Sherman's timeline is a bit more aggressive, but the 49ers will "try to be measured with his return."
Sherman suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in a November game against the Arizona Cardinals. He more recently had minor surgery to clean up bone spurs in the other leg.
"On Friday, Sherman told ESPN's Josina Anderson that he will be back running on the treadmill next week," reports ESPN.
Sherman joined KNBR's "Murph & Mac" show on Tuesday morning and shared that he doesn't expect to be ready for the 49ers' offseason program, which runs from April through June, but hopes to be on the field for the team's mandatory minicamp in mid-June. That is ahead of Lynch's more conservative timeline.
"I'm thinking more June," Sherman said. "I was really close – before I had to get this bone spur removal – to running 100 percent of my body weight on the treadmill. I was at 90 percent with the Achilles. I was on my way to getting to the treadmill and progressing from the treadmill to the field, etc. I slowed down once I got the bone spur removed. So I've just got to wait for this bone to do what it's got to do and then progress."
Sherman also shared his thoughts former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick still not being on an NFL roster. Kaepernick opted out of his contract with San Francisco in March of 2017 and remains unsigned. Many believe the quarterback's continued availability has more to do with his protests during the national anthem and less to do with his actual talent level.
"It was frustrating because he deserved a chance to play," Sherman said. "It's more frustrating watching some of these quarterbacks go out and play terribly. He's been at a high level for a number of years, pretty much his whole career, and he doesn't get an opportunity to go see what he can do. If he goes out there and doesn't play well, then, sure, it's justified, don't let him back on the field. But you've got to at least give him a shot, especially with the level that some of these players were playing at.
"I'm sure he could have played for the Jets this year and done a much better job. Cleveland could have used him. Once (Deshaun) Watson went down, Houston definitely could have used him. Denver had everything, a challenging defense, great receivers. You throw a pretty good quarterback in the mix, who knows how that changes the dynamic.
"But I think sometimes, to make a point, teams would rather just lose."
You can listen to the entire interview with Sherman below.
