The 49ers on Tuesday announced running back Jerick McKinnon’s removal from the Physically Unable to Perform list. He landed there after what was a classified as a “flare up” in his recovery from a torn ACL prior to the start of last season.
McKinnon was supposed to be ready for the start of camp, but he wound up missing the first two weeks on the PUP list. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated late in the first week that McKinnon’s stay on the list wouldn’t be long. His activation Tuesday means he’ll start the third week of camp with the club.
It’s unlikely the 49ers will get a ton of work from McKinnon right away. They’ll want to continue working him in slowly to ensure he’s fully healthy by the time the regular season begins on Sept. 8.
His activation off the PUP allows him to at least go through walk throughs and start getting back into football activity.
McKinnon joins a crowded backfield with Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida, though those two will likely continue sharing a bulk of the work as McKinnon builds up his workload.
While they may need to wait a few weeks to see McKinnon at full speed, his removal from the PUP means he can start officially ramping up for the 2019 campaign.
