A balky knee has kept Javon Kinlaw from putting together the strong second season the 49ers were anticipating the 2020 first-round pick making. He was limited some in the preseason, and the team was forced to manage his ailment with a couple missed games and a slew of limited or missed practices. Now the 24-year-old is considering surgery that could end his season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday said Kinlaw wouldn’t attend practice because he was in Los Angeles weighing his options.
“Yes. Right now, he’s down in L.A., trying to figure that out, whether he’s going to get surgery or not, and what kind of surgery. And I think we’ll get some news on that pretty soon,” Shanahan said.
Kinlaw missed the 49ers’ season opener in Detroit, saw significant action in Weeks 2-5, but red flags went up after the bye week when he was a non-participant in practice and ruled out of Sunday’s game by Friday. Shanahan didn’t seem optimistic at that point and now it appears we may not see Kinlaw on the field again in 2021.
In 18 games as a pro, Kinlaw has 41 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. The 49ers would certainly miss him if he misses their final 11 games, but having him healthy long-term might be worth the short-term loss.
