Defensive end Ronald Blair suffered a torn ACL during last season's Week 10 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. In April, the defender said he was feeling good while going through his rehab and expected to be ready for the start of the 2020 season.
"I'm attacking every day to make sure my knee feels good," Blair said. "I should be cleared by training camp. We'll see. We're taking it day by day. I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but we're going to take it day by day. My plan, if everything starts in September, I should be ready to go."
Unfortunately, Blair wasn't ready for training camp. He may be close, though, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
"Love Ronald Blair," Shanahan told reporters over Zoom on Friday. "Expect to have him back, definitely this year. That hasn't changed. I'm hoping for Week 1. We'll probably get some more clarity on that, probably over the next week, because I want to make sure to give him a practice before he would come out there. But we're getting close to being able to make a decision on that."
Shanahan added that the defensive line performing well during training camp has allowed the 49ers to be patient with Blair's recovery.
The 49ers made Blair a fifth-round selection out of Appalachian State in 2016. He registered 21 tackles and three sacks through nine games before his injury last season.
San Francisco kicks off its regular season on September 13 when the team hosts the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium.