San Francisco 49ers: Updating the Injury Status of NaVorro Bowman and Company

Don’t look now, but the San Francisco 49ers are beginning to get back reinforcements.

The 49ers team that last took the field against the Denver Broncos was a shadow of its full strength.  Missing from the starting lineup were Mike Iupati, Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Aldon Smith, Glenn Dorsey, Chris Culliver and Jimmie Ward.  It’s little surprise, then, that they were dominated by the best team in the NFL.

But, with a week off from the bye, these players, as well as other members of what is an extensive injury list, have begun to come back to the active roster.  Here’s a quick status update on the players the 49ers need back to be at full strength once more.

NaVorro Bowman

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

The player the 49ers have missed the most this season has been Bowman.  Oh, Michael Wilhoite has been solid enough as a backup and replacement, but he’s no Bowman, and that’s pretty clear to see.

According to general Trent Baalke, Bowman is on his way back and is “faster than ever."  That would be quite the recovery from the horrific ACL injury he suffered last January—and it’s good news.  If Bowman is already sprinting at full speed, that bodes well for his ability to contribute significantly this season.

Of course, some optimism has to be tempered.  Bowman will not be cleared to practice this week, according to Jim Harbaugh, and it might not be until December that Bowman actually gets back on the field.  As a player on the PUP list, Bowman can be activated anytime from Week 7 through Week 11.  That starts a 21-day evaluation window, where the team can decide whether or not to activate him to the full roster.

What that means is the latest Bowman can return to the roster, assuming he plays this season, would be Week 14 against the Oakland Raiders.  I would expect it to be closer to the end of that time frame than the beginning, but it sounds like Bowman’s going to be back to playing at an acceptable level by the time the stretch run kicks into gear.

Aldon Smith

Noah Berger/Associated Press

There have been rumors, cited by ESPN and Pro Football Talk, that Aldon Smith could be back early from his nine-game suspension, but so far that’s amounted to nothing.  There’s essentially zero chance that he’ll be active for this week’s game against the St. Louis Rams, and it would be somewhat surprising to see his suspension knocked down a game so that he would be available for next week’s matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

That would leave him returning in two weeks against the New York Giants, and unlike the injured players, Smith shouldn’t need any time to get back into the lineup.  He’s been working out and staying in shape, so he should be good to go for at least pass-rush work pretty much the second he gets back.

More importantly, he’s been keeping out of the headlines off the field.  Trent Baalke has highlighted Smith’s community service work:

"

He’s done an excellent job working at the children’s hospital, working with youth groups in several different communities in the Bay Area, and has done an outstanding job. Very pleased with where he’s at. But continuing to grow and that’s what we’re hoping for, and I know that’s what he’s hoping for.

"

While Baalke's assessment may have the faint odor of a PR and image-rehabilitating job, it would still be a fantastic sign for the NFL, the 49ers and for Aldon Smith personally if he’s managing to turn his life around.  Here’s hoping the next things we write about Smith are about his incredible pass-rushing ability, and not another off-field incident.

Glenn Dorsey

Dave Martin/Associated Press

One injured player who’s already back is Glenn Dorsey.  Dorsey, who tore his biceps in August, returned to practice on Monday, and from all accounts, is looking good.  Jim Harbaugh, on KNBR radio, said that Dorsey, “looks like he is in great shape, which is good. So he'll get back into football shape, and we'll see how long that is. It's good to have him back out there.”

Dorsey is not eligible to play against the Rams this week, but could be active Week 10 against New Orleans.  It will be very interesting to see how the 49ers juggle Dorsey and Ian Williams, who has been playing at a very high level at nose tackle.  This isn’t a situation like Aldon Smith and Aaron Lynch, where as good as Lynch has been Smith is clearly better.  These are two starting-caliber players at one position.

That will leave the 49ers with eight defensive linemen, and they often use only two at a time.  We might see someone from the bottom of the roster—someone like Demarcus Dobbs or Quinton Dial—be let go to make room for Dorsey on the roster.

Patrick Willis

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

Patrick Willis returned to practice this week, but is still limited with his toe injury.  The fact that he’s back practicing at all is a really good sign—Tramaine Brock’s toe injury had him shelved for a month.

I’m not so sure I’d expect Willis to come rumbling back this week against the Rams, however.  While a limited Willis is better than a fully healthy Chris Borland, the 49ers might opt to give him one more week of full rest before throwing him back out there.  I think it could still go either way—Willis is tough and has played through injuries before, most recently through a hand injury last season. 

We’ll see how he develops this week and how much practice he gets as opposed to individual workouts.

The Returnees

Two weeks off has done a lot of good for a number of rank-and-file players.  Mike Iupati is fully recovered from his concussion, meaning that rookie center Marcus Martin will get all four regular offensive linemen to support him in his first NFL start as he replaces the injured Daniel Kilgore.  Chris Culliver is also fully healthy, and Jimmie Ward is still limited, according to Chris Biderman.

This should set up a secondary of Culliver, Tramaine Brock and the surprising Perrish Cox.  Perhaps the 49ers will move Culliver over the slot, letting Brock and Cox play on the outside, where they’re more comfortable.  Cox has certainly played well enough to keep a starting job now that everyone’s healthy.

Lurking in the Wings

Richard Shiro/Associated Press

The final injured player who may be making a return soon is Marcus Lattimore, the injured ex-South Carolina star who has been much hyped, but has yet to fully recover from the devastating injury he suffered in 2012 that ended his college career.

However, Lattimore is scheduled to begin practicing today, according to Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.  That starts his 21-day clock to get called up to the actual 53-man roster and allows the coaching staff to evaluate him in a more competitive environment.

The 49ers have only two backs on the active roster, Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde, with Bruce Miller and Bruce Ellington serving as emergency options.  That leaves plenty of room for Lattimore on the roster.

It’s been two years since his injury, and he’s yet to be tackled in a game, so he’s a real question mark for the future—though seeing him in uniform on game day would represent a huge milestone. If he can return to any degree of his college skill, he’ll be a great weapon to stick in the backfield. 

Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers.  Follow him @BryKno on twitter.