On Friday, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the team would decide on Monday whether or not to place defensive end Tank Carradine on injured reserve. Carradine left Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Rams with a high-ankle sprain.
On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Carradine's MRI came back "relatively clean" and the defensive end will miss four to six weeks as he recovers from the injury.
#49ers DE Tank Carradine's MRI on his ankle came back relatively clean, source said. It's a high-ankle sprain, 4-6 weeks. Potentially no IR.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 23, 2017
Rapoport added that the 49ers could potentially avoid placing Carradine on injured reserve because of the shortened recovery time. However, that will ultimately be up to Shanahan and the coaching staff who are not expected to announce a decision until Monday.
Carradine was one of many Trent Baalke ACL injury picks that the 49ers gambled on in past years. While he didn't appear to live up to his potential coming out of college, the current 49ers coaching staff was high on him as a pass rusher.
"I think he's damn near an elite six-technique," said 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh in August. "To be able to create pocket push from an edge, I think that's where his home is. There's no shame in that, I think he's pretty freaking good at it. That's where Tank's strength is. Will he get some inside rush? Yes ... But, as a six, dominating tight ends and being able to transition from run thought to pass on first and second down, I don't know if you'll find much better than that in the league."
The 49ers selected Carradine out of Florida State in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. During his time with San Francisco, he has played along the defensive line and at linebacker.
Since 2014, Carradine has 64 total tackles, five sacks, and a forced fumble. This season, he has seven total tackles and a sack.
