The plan is to have Jimmy Garoppolo do some throwing and non-contact 7-on-7 work during organized team activities, which kick off in late-May. As for when the rehabbing San Francisco 49ers quarterback can become a full participant in practices, head coach Kyle Shanahan is still eyeing training camp.
Shanahan is at the annual league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona this week and told reporters on Tuesday that the team remains hopeful Garoppolo will be cleared to participate in training camp fully. The quarterback, who suffered a torn ACL this past September, is expected to be the team's Week 1 starter when the 2019 regular season kicks off.
Garoppolo continues to work out under the watchful eyes of the 49ers training and medical staffs at the team facility. Both Shanahan and general manager John Lynch can peer out their office windows and observe their franchise quarterback tossing footballs.
"It's very controlled movements and stuff," Shanahan told Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday. "When he does all that it does look very good, which means he's getting closer. And that's why hopefully it will be full-go for training camp, and I think we will get a lot of work with him in OTAs also."
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Lynch said in January that Garoppolo needs to play football. While the quarterback is entering his sixth NFL season, he's still only started 10 career games.
"We're hopeful he's going to get to take part in our OTAs," Lynch said. "That's the plan, and he hasn't had any setbacks, so he's doing really well. I'm really proud of him too. Kyle, we all got together and said [2018] can't be a wasted year in terms from the neck up, in terms of talking football."
To make sure 2018 wasn't wasted because of injury, Kyle Shanahan had Garoppolo sit down with someone he trusts — his father, Mike Shanahan. The December sessions allowed the quarterback to continue soaking in knowledge by watching film and talking football without taking time away from his teammates and coaching staff who were focused on finishing out the season.
"I don't want just anyone to talk to Jimmy about football," Kyle Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area. "I want somebody who knows what he's talking about, so it was cool. They'd just turn on games and watch stuff and just talk."
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While it is encouraging to see Garoppolo airing it out as he rehabs, Shanahan acknowledges that it's one thing to look great throwing to the training staff on a practice field versus doing so with a defender trying to bring you down. The 49ers will remain patient with Garoppolo to ensure he is ready when they need him most.
Shanahan often runs into Garoppolo but league rules prevent the two from discussing football until the team officially reconvenes in April.
"We can talk, but we can't talk about football," Shanahan told 49ers team reporter Joe Fann. "We don't have much else to talk about, though, so it's pretty awkward."
Both Shanahan and team CEO Jed York indicated that Garoppolo has added some weight this offseason, which is not uncommon for rehabbing players.
"It's not like lifting weights and doing that stuff makes you throw farther, it actually can be the opposite," Shanahan said. "Quarterbacks, you want them to be a size where they can take the hits, and after that you want them to be as athletic as possible."
The goal is to keep Garoppolo healthy for 16 games this season; maybe more if the 49ers make a playoff push. That starts by remaining patient during his rehab. A lot of the team's success in 2019 will ride on Garoppolo's shoulders and a healthy knee.
