It has been about six weeks since 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree had surgery to repair a torn Achilles, which is apparently the time he needed to heal up enough to resume working out.
Crabtree sent out a tweet early Monday morning announcing that he’s ready to hit the gym and start the next phase in his rehab. There aren’t any details as to what Crabtree will be doing in his workouts, although there probably won’t be too much more than conditioning work that Crabtree can do without putting any undue stress on his injury.
It’s a good development for Crabtree, but there’s still a long way to go before Crabtree can start thinking about getting back on the field. If everything goes according to plan, Crabtree’s looking at another four-plus months of rehab work before he’ll be able to return to the 49ers offense so it’s premature to even have premature discussions about what he’ll be able to do on the field this season.
With Mario Manningham’s availability in camp and the early part of the season uncertain because of an ACL tear, the 49ers will need A.J. Jenkins, Kyle Williams and Quinton Patton to pick up some slack while also getting creative with tight end Vernon Davis in the passing game.