The 49ers are 2-3 with a tough upcoming schedule, but Donte Whitner believes there is still hope for the playoffs, even after the ugly 43-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
As training camp was coming to an end, the 49ers held out hope defensive lineman Ronald Blair would be ready for the beginning of the regular season.
But, now, the 49ers are not expecting to see much of Blair or the two other players currently on the physically unable to perform list.
Blair, center Weston Richburg and defensive linemen Jullian Taylor are eligible to return to practice after the 49ers’ Week 6 game against the Los Angeles Rams. But coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday that a more-likely scenario is that the 49ers could see their returns from Week 10 to Week 12.
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Shanahan said the original surgery to repair the ACL in Blair’s right knee was not successful. Blair sustained a torn ACL in a game last November against the Seattle Seahawks.
Blair experienced a setback and required follow-up surgery.
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“Had to redo some things with his knee, so some stuff that they messed up in it, and he is doing a lot better from that,” Shanahan said on Friday. “But that’s why he’s going to be a couple weeks longer than expected."
Blair's original procedure was performed by a surgeon with no affiliation to the 49ers organization.
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Richburg is returning from a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. He sustained the injury on Dec. 8 against the New Orleans Saints.
Taylor sustained a torn ACL in his right knee in a late-season game against the Rams.