The 49ers feared that linebacker NaVorro Bowman injured both his ACL and MCL against the Seahawks on Sunday and those fears have been realized.
PFT has learned, via a league source, that Bowman tore both ligaments when wide receiver Jermaine Kearse fell on his leg while Bowman was stopping Kearse short of the end zone. The ball came loose and fell into Bowman’s arms, but the Seahawks retained possession because the officials made the wrong call on the field and the vagaries of the NFL rule book are such that some obvious officiating blunders can’t be reviewed by rule.
Bowman suffered no dislocation and will have surgery to repair the ACL after giving the MCL some time to heal. It’s the same course of action as the one Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski followed after his knee injury during the season and Gronkowski had the operation a little more than a month after getting hurt.
That timeline and the expected one for recovery would certainly put Bowman at risk of missing some or all of training camp while he works his knee back into shape. An absence that extends into the regular season, Bowman is expected to be ready but it is going to be a tight fit, would be a major blow for San Francisco since Bowman played as well as just about any defensive star in the league this season.