SANTA CLARA – After one 1-on-1 rep at Sunday practice, Dee Ford called it a day.
The 49ers edge rusher looked out with Mike McGlinchey, won the rep and seemed to pull up lame. Coaches worked for a while on Ford’s right lower leg, but after testing it by jogging on the turf, the 49ers decided it was best for Ford to sit out the rest of the practice.
Ford, who brings undeniable speed to the defensive line, struggled in his first season with the 49ers’ knee and hamstring injuries. He admitted a few weeks ago that he never felt completely like himself all season 2017.
[RELATED: 49ers’ Richburg likely to begin year on PUP list, Lynch says]
After an offseason procedure, the Pro Bowl defender had described his health at 100 percent. McGlinchey said he had noticed that Ford was “pop” as he had seen before: a “shot from a cannon.”
The team has not released details on Ford’s injury, but a good sign is that he remained on the sidelines watching and practicing alongside his teammates. Players have a day off on Monday before returning to practice on Tuesday.
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Richard Sherman is sick of slander. Not about himself, not even about Jimmy Garoppolo or any of his current 49ers teammates.
No, this time the 49ers starback defends his former Seattle Seahawks teammate, Earl Thomas.
It’s really sad how things turned out for a man who is like a brother to me. Just know that when @Earl_Thomas comes back on the grass he will go out to make a point! Still one of the best in this league and I look forward to proving it again
– Richard Sherman (@ RSherman_25) August 23, 2020
Sherman and Thomas played seven seasons together in Seattle, from 2011 to 2017. They served as archivists of the 49ers, leading the “Legion of Boom” in the defensive backfield. Sherman, and Thomas – a security guard – were each named All-Pro three times as Seahawks teammates.
Thomas’ contract was terminated on Sunday for reasons of personal conduct by the Baltimore Ravens. He had an altercation on the field on Saturday with then-Ravens teammate Chuck Clark that was the last straw for coach John Harbaugh and Co.
Baltimore signed Thomas to a four-year, $ 55 million contract in March 2019. He played 15 regular-season games last year and was named his seventh Pro Bowl. The 31-year-old proved he was still a star last season, and will clearly help his next team.
[RELATED: Lynch shares why Shanahan got 49ers extension before him]
But that next team will probably not be the 49ers, as our very own Matt Maiocco explained, for many reasons. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported Sunday that the Dallas Cowboys are the favorites to sign the Texas native.
However, every time Thomas is on the field, Sherman can not wait for safety to prove that he is a star again.
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SANTA CLARA – Offensive lineman Ross Reynolds, who spent all of his rookie season on the 49ers’ training camp, was sent off Sunday for apparent leg injury.
Reynolds, with whom the 49ers signed last year as a draft free agent from Iowa, is vying for a job on the 49-man roster of 53 men as a reserve interior lineman.
“Obviously, it’s extremely difficult to see something happen to one of your brothers and one of your teammates, especially in our own unit,” Judge Mike McGlinchey said after the practice. “Ross is a boy who comes to work every day and kills his ass for us.
“He does everything we ask him to do, or play both guard positions, he has done a lot in this camp. He is a very versatile footballer and he has had some success in this camp so far.”
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Reynolds followed up the injury in a period of 11 to 11 late in practice. His teammates on the offensive line gathered around the cart and wished him well before he was returned to the locker room of the 49ers for further evaluations.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as it looked,” McGlinchey said. “And we can say our prayers for Ross today on Lord’s Day, and hopefully it all turns out OK and we’ll get him back as soon as we can. It’s apparently very, very hard to look like one of our favorite boys so goes down. “
[RELATED: Dee Ford leaves practice after one rep]The 49ers did not provide an immediate update on Reynolds’ condition.
