The San Francisco 49ers weren't sure what to make of Dee Ford's situation. The veteran pass rusher's time with the team has been riddled with injuries. He appeared in just one game last season before neck and back injuries sidelined the defender. No one really knew how serious the injuries were. Rumors of retirement even circulated through social media.
Did the thought of calling it a career ever enter Ford's head?
"Hell no," Ford recently told reporters. "No. No. I put in too much work. I haven't put my best ball on tape yet. This is my life. This is what I do."
Ford had no idea that he would be sidelined for so long last season. The whole situation just kept changing from week to week, and soon, it became obvious that he wouldn't play again in 2020.
"Initially, it was 4-5 weeks, but then that turned into ten weeks, then that turned into 15," Ford shared. "As things progressed, we just kind of found out this thing was going to take a little longer than we expected. But we got it done."
Ford will not play on Saturday against the 49ers' first preseason opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs. The team is being careful with Ford, hoping to not only have him available for Week 1 but for the majority of the 17-game regular season.
General manager John Lynch has increasing optimism surrounding Ford potentially being a big factor this season is apparent.
"I didn't know what to think," Lynch said of Ford's recovery on KNBR's Murph & Mac show this morning. "I mean, it's been a while with Dee, and that was kind of a moving target, the stuff he was dealing with last year. He had confidence that he'd be back. It was hard for us to have that same confidence because you just didn't know.
"We've been very encouraged. He's been out there. We're trying to be very judicious on how we bring him back. But he's been super impactful when he's been out there, and that's always been the case with Dee, so we've just got to get him there.
"But he's also got to train his body so he can go compete in a consistent manner and show up every week. Man, if he can do that, I'm really feeling, like 2019, in terms of this D-line ... we think we're going to be a force at that position. We've got to go do it but it's starting to feel like 2019 where the mindset is going to be overwhelming quarterbacks, and that's the great equalizer in a league that's so set up for passing."
You can listen to the whole conversation with Lynch below.