Kinlaw has surgery, will be ready for season
Javon Kinlaw underwent a minor surgical procedure on his right knee to deal with the remnants of a somewhat disappointing rookie season with the 49ers.
Kinlaw, the 49ers’ top pick in last year’s draft at No. 14 overall, posted an image on his Instagram account Tuesday showing him in a wheelchair with his right knee heavily wrapped.
A 49ers spokesman said Kinlaw had a routine cleanup of the injury that caused him to miss the final two games of the season. General manager John Lynch said Kinlaw’s knee began swelling after an injury suffered during the 49ers’ Week 15 game against Dallas.
The 49ers expect Kinlaw to be ready to go by the start of the team’s offseason program, which is still to be determined because of COVID-19.
The 23-year-old performed well enough this past season to be selected to Pro Football Focus’ AllRookie team, but the analytics site also noted Kinlaw had an unproductive
season.
Kinlaw played the thirdmost snaps of any 49ers defensive lineman, yet finished the season with just 1.5 sacks, four quarterback pressures and 33 total tackles. PFF analyst Anthony Treash said Kinlaw lacked consistency, which was reflected in the former South Carolina star being ranked just 85th among the league’s 111 qualifying interior defensive linemen.
A rash of injuries across the 49ers defensive line — Nick Bosa, Solomon
Thomas and Dee Ford all missed nearly the entire season — heaped a lot of pressure on Kinlaw. He had initially been viewed as someone who would eventually become a top-notch lineman, but the team’s injuries unfairly sped up his developmental time frame.
Lynch, though, wasn’t disappointed in what he saw from Kinlaw. In fact, he compared Kinlaw’s growth as a player to one of his Hall of Fame teammates with the Buccaneers.
“I played with Warren
Sapp, and I remember Kinlaw’s rookie year was about like Warren Sapp’s rookie year,” Lynch told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “Obviously I’m setting a high standard, maybe the best ever to do it, but I think the point I’m trying to illustrate, defensive linemen don’t always just come in and dominate right away.”
WILSON RETURNS TO BACKFIELD >> The 49ers announced they re-signed restricted free agent running back RB Jeff Wilson Jr. to a one-year deal.
In 2020, Wilson Jr. led the team with 126 carries for 600 yards and seven touchdowns, all single-season career highs.
He also tallied career highs in receptions (13), receiving yards (133) and receiving touchdowns (three).
MULLENS SURGERY >> Backup quarterback Nick Mullens also had surgery recently, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Mullens, a pending restricted free agent, was slated for Tommy John surgery after a late-season elbow injury, but Garafolo reported that the damage to his elbow was less extensive than first thought.
The 49ers expect he’ll be ready for offseason work, whenever that begins.