When discussing first-round pick Reuben Foster’s shoulder last week, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said that the “worst-case scenario” would be that Foster misses some time early in his rookie year after having surgery this offseason.
Other teams have taken a dimmer view of the linebacker’s health, which helped keep him available for the 49ers to take at the end of the first round. Those teams reportedly feel Foster could require additional surgery because the first one didn’t fully correct the problem.
On Tuesday, 49ers General Manager John Lynch told Alex Marvez and Mark Dominik of Sirius XM NFL Radio that the team hasn’t wavered in its belief that Foster will be OK. He said Foster is ahead of schedule in his recovery from the surgery and that the team expects him to be “full go” when they start training camp this summer.
While any absence early in his career will be easier for the 49ers to swallow if Foster develops into the kind of player that was once projected to go in the top half of the first round, the team would surely prefer if it is right that he can get directly on the field and stay there.