San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Friday morning and provided several injury updates. Among them was news that cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has cleared the concussion protocol and will start in place of Richard Sherman this weekend against the New York Jets.
Sherman was placed on short-term injured reserve this week and will miss at least the next three games. Lynch did note that his calf strain is unrelated to his previous Achilles injury.
The general manager saw Sherman after the game and noted, "It wasn't pretty the way he was walking."
That, along with discussions with Sherman, led the 49ers to sideline the All-Pro cornerback for a few games.
Witherspoon will fill in for the veteran cornerback and play opposite Emmanuel Moseley.
"He cleared (the concussion protocol)," Lynch said on the Murph & Mac show. "The nice thing about that these days ... there's so many protocols. I feel like we live in protocols, but it actually helps with the concussions because it takes it out of the coaches' hands, out of anyone's hands other than there's a very strict and serious protocol. They have to meet these steps.
"... He's done great. He's really responded well, feels good. So it looks like he's going to be going."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.