Originally posted by SonocoNinerFan:
Originally posted by Disp:
If he blew out his knee they'd just put him on IR. Don't think there's any way to come back from that in the same season. Took Culliver nearly a full year to recover.
If it's a tear that's probably the last time we've seen KH get a carry for the Niners unfortunately.
If the worst case is confirmed, I wouldn't be shocked if we re-sign him next offseason. He won't be pricey and he's a trusted agent.
He won't be pricey for good reason...in that situation, he'd be a guy that never carried more than 15% of the load at running back, would have only played 2 of 4 full seasons (one being his rookie year and the other being a forgettable 2013 in which he wasn't fully recovered). Now add a torn achilles, and (if the worst was to be confirmed) a shredded knee, why would we want him?
Even at a bargain deal it wouldn't be a smart move. The 49ers can't just keep playing this injury game and expecting to win out...especially because they haven't been: Lattimore is a big question mark, we have to see what we have in Carradine (who I'm confident in, but still). Hunter will be gone if the knee is bad. The Niners can't afford to play doctor and hope this guys all return to form...some will, some won't.
The hope right now is that it's a minor tweak, Hunter could be a very effective back if he can stay healthy and get incorporated into the game plan more. I've been waiting for him to break out ever since a very promising rookie year; unfortunately we just keep waiting. I have been hoping this is the year he takes that step. We'll see what the verdict holds.