San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly revealed that ILB NaVorro Bowman had surgery on his Achilles this week.
Kelly was asked if Bowman had been around the team since his injury. "No. He's not," Kelly answered. "I think he just had surgery – two days ago, maybe?"
"I think it was either Monday or Tuesday," Kelly continued. "So two to three days ago. So I'm not sure if he's back yet."
On October 6, Bowman was officially been placed on the Injured Reserve list. He was injured on October 2 against the Cowboys. Bowman went down while rushing the line of scrimmage and immediately grabbed at his left ankle. He received attention from the 49ers' medical staff and eventually walked off of the field with a limp and some help from team trainers. He was later carted to the team's locker room.
An MRI on October 3 revealed the severity of the injury – a torn Achilles that would end his season. The injury came nearly 13 months after Bowman's return to the football field from a torn ACL and MCL.
"I want to say thank you to all the fans, my teammates and peers that have sent me get-well wishes for a speedy recovery," Bowman wrote on Twitter following the announcement that he would be placed on Injured Reserve. "I know God will protect and guide me thru these times. It's just a minor setback for a major comeback."
Through nearly four games, Bowman had 35 tackles, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, and two passes defended. Last season, he was in on 1,126 defensive snaps. 627 of those were against the pass while 499 were against the run. During that time, Bowman compiled 154 tackles – which led the league – 2.5 sacks, and two passes defended.
Through four games this season, Bowman was the team's highest rated player according to advanced statistics site Pro Football Focus.
