Ford’s snaps produce cautious optimism
Dee Ford, lined up at left defensive end Friday, beat right tackle Mike McGlinchey with an inside power rush and had a clear lane for a wouldbe sack of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
That sound you hear? That would be the 49ers knocking on wood.
Beyond the beyondhisyears performance from rookie quarterback Trey Lance, the most promising development of training camp might be the return of Ford, 30, who missed the final 15 games last year with his third serious back injury dating to college. Ford played at least 15 snaps during Friday’s practice and rushed with abandon, falling hard to the ground at one point with no ill effects.
The Pro Bowl pass rusher teamed with defensive end Nick Bosa in 2019 to help headline the NFL’s secondranked defense, a unit that fueled a Super Bowl run. But head coach Kyle Shanahan still isn’t assuming Ford will be reprising that role in 2021. That’s because of the delicate nature of his back injury.
“We know what he can do, so I’m just hoping he keeps coming out there without any setback,” Shanahan said. “Dee has played in this league long enough, so I’m just hoping that anytime the back is like it’s been for the last couple of years, I just hope it doesn’t act back up.”
Ford spoke with reporters Friday for the first time since just before he was sidelined after last year’s season opener and he provided some clarity on his back issues. Before last season, Ford had experienced significant lowerback problems. He had surgery to repair a herniated disk in 2011 when he was at Auburn before he had a lumbar discectomy in 2017.
Last season, he began to experience inflammation and tightness in his upper back, symptoms that “came out of nowhere,” he said. He explained that his upperback discomfort was tied to his past lowerback problems, which created a “chain effect.” Ford said a third back surgery wasn’t an option.
“I just woke up and I just felt a little pulling in areas where it shouldn’t have been,” Ford said. “And it’s not safe to kind of push through that. … We just wanted to calm it down. Initially, it was four or five weeks. And then that turned into 10 weeks. And then it turned into 15 weeks.”
Ford spent most of the offseason continuing his rehab in Santa Clara, focusing on stretching and core work, while the 49ers made contingency plans. They signed defensive end Samson Ebukam to a twoyear, $12 million deal and restructured Ford’s contract. Ford was scheduled to earn to earn $47.5 million in base salary in the final three years of the fiveyear, $85 million deal he signed after the 49ers acquired him for a secondround pick in 2019. His restructured deal will pay him $24 million over the next two seasons.
Ford said he never considered retirement during his lengthy rehab.
“Hell no,” Ford said. “No, I put in too much work. I haven’t put my best ball on tape yet. This is my life. This is what I do.”
But how much will Ford be able to do in 2021? That remains a legitimate question given the nature of Ford’s extensive injury history. Each time, he said, he gradually began to experience symptoms that came without warning before they worsened.
Given that, Ford was hesitant Friday to declare a moment when he experienced a breakthrough in his latest rehab.
“The breakthrough,” he said, “is going to be when I get sacks.”
Injury report: The 49ers removed cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, wide receiver Jauan Jennings and safety Jaquiski Tartt from the reserve/ COVID19 list. Moseley and Jennings participated in their first practice of training camp, but Tartt is still dealing with a turftoe injury he suffered in November, and was placed on the active physically unable to perform list.
Defensive lineman Arik Armstead was sidelined with a groin injury and Shanahan said defensive tackle Zach Kerr didn’t practice due to a similar injury. Defensive tackle Kentavius Street was out because of an illness and Ebukam missed his third practice in a fourpractice stretch due to an unspecified injury.