Ready to retake his spot
49ers’ NaVorro Bowman looking to start again after injuries sidelined him two of past three seasons
Go ahead, make NaVorro Bowman compete to earn his starting spot back after a devastating Achilles injury. Sure, throw his name out as being on the trading block.
Even tell the four-time all-pro linebacker and longtime leader of the San Francisco defence that one talented player at his position will likely be the odd man out in a matter of months.
“I won’t. I won’t be on the sideline, I’m going to tell you that now,” Bowman said Tuesday following practice as part of a 49ers organized team activity. San Francisco signed inside linebacker Malcolm Smith in free agency and drafted another in Reuben Foster at 31st overall last month out of Alabama, prompting new coach Kyle Shanahan to make a courtesy call to Bowman in case he wanted to talk things over – not that Bowman needed any reassurances. He appreciated the gesture nonetheless, went back to some off-season golf, and they never have gotten around to the discussion.
Earlier this month, general manager John Lynch called to let him know he wasn’t being shopped around to other teams despite reports otherwise – and the 49ers publicly denied the rumour.
“The only trade discussions we had was when another team asked us about Vance (McDonald) on draft day,” Shanahan said Tuesday. “And after a team asked us about Vance then we asked other teams if they’d be interested in that same thing. When it came to NaVorro or any other player on our team, no one’s asked and we haven’t either.”
Not much can bring Bowman down these days. He’s been through it all in recent years.
He tore the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the NFC championship game in January 2014 then later underwent surgery for the ACL tear. He missed all of 2014 then came back with a spectacular 2015 during which he led the NFL with 154 total tackles. Then Bowman tore his left Achilles tendon during Week 4 last fall, his second major injury in less than three years. He suffered the non-contact injury in the third quarter against Dallas on Oct. 2. He had to be helped off the field and was taken by cart to the locker room. “I’m a man of challenges,” Bowman said. “I overcome whatever comes on my plate. It doesn’t matter what you think of me, it’s about what I think of myself and how hard I work. When I go down, it’s up to me whether to get back up.”