49ers' Richard Sherman Designated to Return from IR After Calf Injury

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman will be eligible to join the team against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 at the Superdome after the team designated him for return from injured reserve Monday, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

Though Sherman will be able to return this weekend, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects that he won't be ready to play until after the team's Week 11 bye. 

Sherman had appeared in just one game this season, recording four tackles in the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals before being placed on IR ahead of Week 2 with a strained calf. The Stanford product was due to return in Week 5, but he suffered a setback. 

Entering his 10th season in the league and his third with the 49ers, Sherman has proved to be an indispensable piece of his team's defense. Before his season ended early with an Achilles injury in 2017, he had appeared in 16 games in each of his first six years in the league.

Last season, the 32-year-old collected 61 tackles, 11 passes defended, three interceptions and a touchdown. He was voted a second-team All-Pro and earned his fifth Pro Bowl nod before the Niners fell in Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The thinned-out 49ers started former practice-squad cornerback Brian Allen (now with the Cincinnati Bengals) alongside veteran Jason Verrett in the absence of Emmanuel Moseley and K'Waun Williams in Week 5 and have also turned to Ahkello Witherspoon and Dontae Johnson in Sherman's absence.