All offseason, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence in fourth-year defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw despite the team not exercising the player's fifth-year option. It was certainly more confidence than fans had in the former first-round draft pick.
Kinlaw had missed 24 games over the past two seasons. He underwent reconstructive knee surgery in 2021. A setback last season forced Kinlaw to miss 11 games. Fans were ready to label the defensive lineman a "bust." Some already had.
The defensive lineman just could not stay on the football field.
Kinlaw is finally healthy, though, and making his presence known. The defensive tackle is on pace for his best Pro Football Focus grade after an unimpressive first three NFL seasons. Kinlaw finished with a 31.9 overall grade in 2022. That has jumped to 82.5 through three games this season.
Kinlaw has recorded six total pressures and six hurries in limited playing time this season. That matches his totals for all of last season. His pass rush win percentage has increased from 6.6 in 2022 to 19.3 this season.
Javon Kinlaw's season-to-season PFF grades. He is having a pretty solid 2023 campaign so far.
Kinlaw already has 6 total pressures and 6 hurries through 3 games in limited snaps. That matches each of his totals for ALL of last season. #49ers pic.twitter.com/bEtairXqYF
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) September 22, 2023
Is this the best Kyle Shanahan has seen Kinlaw play?
"Yes, because it's the healthiest [he's been]," the coach responded via a conference call on Friday. "I go all the way back to his rookie year, right when he started getting going. I felt, probably since then, the best he was was his rookie year, right before that Dallas game. And then, when he hit his knee on the turf in that Dallas game, he's really never felt right since.
"This is the first offseason we've seen him feel right to where he was able to get himself in complete football shape and be ready to go for practices before they even started, which was the first time that allowed him to get through practices. So he got better at football this offseason with training camp and everything, and really, really happy for him because he's put the work in, and it's showing up on the film."
One of Kinlaw's teammates has also noticed the "huge" improvement in the defensive tackle.
"He's just been healthy and a really good offseason of training," defensive end Nick Bosa said after Thursday night's 30-12 win over the New York Giants. "So he's able to use the tools that he has, and I think he's going to keep ascending."