San Francisco 49ers defensive end Tank Carradine was placed on injured reserve on September 25. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the team plans to activate him off of injured reserve and he will begin practicing with his teammates on Wednesday. However, he won't be eligible to play in a game until November 26.
Carradine left the 49ers' Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams with a high-ankle sprain. He will likely become the second and final player that San Francisco can activate off of injured reserve. The team activated defensive lineman Ronald Blair (thumb) on Saturday.
The other option would have been defensive end Arik Armstead later in the season. Shanahan said, after some consideration, the team decided to go with Carradine.
"It's a tough decision," Shanahan said on Wednesday, "but we feel Tank's got a good chance to at least be back for these last six games where we know Arik would have been only the last two. We had to make a decision today, so we're going to go with Tank right now."
While the perception is that Carradine has not lived up to expectations during his time with the 49ers, the current coaching staff has been high on him. In August, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh paid Carradine a considerable compliment, calling the defensive end "elite."
"I think he's damn near an elite six-technique," Saleh said. "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 had seven total tackles and a sack.