Jimmy Garoppolo is five months removed from a torn ACL, but head coach Kyle Shanahan sounded optimistic about the San Francisco 49ers quarterback's return.

"Everyone says they're ahead of schedule," Shanahan told reporters via Bay Area News Group at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "He is. He's been healing great. He hasn't had knee trouble before, and it was a clean ACL. So it's been real good for him."


The plan has always been to have Garoppolo throwing during 7-on-7 drills and doing non-contact work when the 49ers kick off organized team activities in late-May. That remains the plan, according to Shanahan. The quarterback still isn't likely to receive his regular dose of reps until training camp in July, but he is expected to be ready for the 2019 season.

"I'm always sitting at my office watching film, and he's right out my window rehabbing all the time," Shanahan said.

Shanahan will often see Garoppolo around the facilities, but NFL rules prevent him from talking actual football with him or any other player until the team reconvenes for a minicamp in April.

"I see him. We don't talk about football," Shanahan said. "But I see him out my window every day."

Shanahan added, "Yeah, I'm a stalker. He's doing a good job."


Another player looking to return from a torn ACL is running back Jerick McKinnon. While he is ahead of Garoppolo in his rehab, the position he plays requires the 49ers to be more careful with him.

"Jimmy will be able to practice a lot more than someone like Jet, who we have to be a little bit safer with," Shanahan explained. "Even though they might be at the same spot (in rehab), we don't want guys falling into their legs, and that's easier to control at quarterback than running back."

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