San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters on Saturday and were asked about the status of last year's third-round draft pick, wide receiver Jalen Hurd.
After one impressive preseason performance, Hurd was sidelined with a back injury and did not play a regular-season snap during his rookie campaign.
Lynch said in February that Hurd had been cleared for the start of the team's offseason program. A lot has changed since then, though. That offseason program may not happen. At least, not as Lynch initially envisioned.
NFL facilities are closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, and most of the offseason program will likely take place via video conferences. It is doubtful that any offseason on-the-field activities will occur before training camps open, if at all.
"Jalen Hurd is doing really well," Lynch said on Saturday. "One of the benefits is the rehab players have been able to be around the facility. They've been granted permission by the league, and we take great precautions with all those things.
"But Jalen is doing really well, and so he's cleared. We're ramping him up, and we are very optimistic. I don't want to be overly optimistic because, last year, we saw some progress, and we had some setbacks."
The 49ers added two receivers in the draft — Brandon Aiyuk of Arizona State and Jauan Jennings of Tennessee — while trading away Marquise Goodwin. Lynch remains hopeful that Hurd can contribute in 2020.
"He's out. He's running. He's doing really well, and we're excited by that," Lynch added. "Jalen, the 14 days that we've seen him, were 'lights out.' The problem is we've only seen him for 14 days.
"Jalen knows full-well that he needs to work his tail off so he can get back and be a big contributor, and try to earn opportunities to be a contributor for our team moving forward.
"We love his skill set. We love his mindset. Now, it's time to put it all to work."
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