San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch made his regular appearance on Bay Area radio station KNBR Friday morning, offering encouraging updates on two key players recovering from injuries.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who suffered a torn Achilles during the Super Bowl in February, has been steadily working his way back to the field. Greenlaw started the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but Lynch remains optimistic that the linebacker will play this season.
"Dre's coming along well, I can tell you that," Lynch said. "He is working arduously to come back, but that's a significant injury, and it takes time. There's markers that he has to hit, and he's doing really well. I can tell Dre is getting more excited as we get closer. I don't have any updates as to exactly when it will be, but I can tell you he's really progressing.
"We expect him to play at some point this year, and we're patiently waiting because we know when Dre is out there, he's such a difference maker. He's one of my favorite players to watch—the speed, the violence. He's a tone-setter for the 49ers, so you've got to be patient. But man, we can't wait until he comes back."
Meanwhile, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was eligible to have his practice window opened this week, but the 49ers opted to hold off. Head coach Kyle Shanahan explained that Pearsall wasn't quite ready yet.
"I know he's really close, and when he's good to go, himself and the medical staff, we will be pumped to have him back. He's a hell of a player," Shanahan added.
Pearsall is recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest sustained during a robbery attempt in San Francisco on August 31. He remains on the non-football injury (NFI) list.
"Ricky's doing great. He really is," Lynch said. "Really proud of the young man and how he's handled everything. It's tough for Ricky not to be out there on that field. I know the possibility for him to open up his window was earlier this week. At some point, we thought that might have been the case. It's not as if he had a setback. He just wasn't quite ready.
"We're always going to account for where a player is at, and when you turn up the activity, how do they respond? He didn't have a setback. Like I said, he just wasn't quite there. And so we made the decision to hold him this week, not open his window. I think that the time's coming. It's close. But we'll continue to monitor."
The 49ers selected Pearsall with the 31st overall pick in April's draft, and the rookie showed promise during the offseason before a shoulder injury sidelined him.
Despite the tragic incident in August, Pearsall is making a remarkable recovery and is expected to contribute this season.
"When these guys are on [injury lists], you can't put them out there at practice, so you do as much as you can to the side, and you see how they respond," Lynch continued. "And I can tell you he's continuing to improve. He looks really good doing what he's doing, but at some point, we'll put him out there with the group, and then you have three weeks to officially put him on your game-day roster, and we're looking forward to that time coming.
"I don't think it's far, but it didn't quite happen this week, and I know that was tough for him, but he's going to be out there at some point. He'll be making plays for us. He's a really good football player who fits into what we do and our vision for this offense."
You can listen to Lynch's entire interview below.
