49ers Open Practice Window for Kwon Alexander

The San Francisco 49ers today announced they have opened the practice window for linebacker Kwon Alexander, who was placed on the Injured Reserve List on November 5, 2019.

There is now a three week window for the 49ers to fully activate him off of injured reserve so that he can make his full return to the team. Alexander had suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Arizona Cardinals on Halloween. Sustaining this type of injury usually puts players on the shelf until the offseason.

Clearly, Alexander did not get the memo as he is doing all he can to return for the NFC championship game.

Entering week 16, Kyle Shanahan revealed that Alexander has a chance to return to the team should they venture deep into the playoffs. Prior to Shanahan announcing that, Kendrick Bourne had posted on his instagram story that Alexander will be returning this season. Since that moment, Alexander's return to the 49ers has grown in likelihood.

Adding him to the defense will bring another energetic boost, along with a stout cover linebacker. Rookie Dre Greenlaw has done a phenomenal job in Alexander's absence, which means the defense will only improve substantially with back in the lineup.

Officially, the following players are among those NOT eligible to play again for the #49ers this season:

Jason Verrett
Trent Taylor
Jalen Hurd
D.J. Jones
Ronald Blair
Marquise Goodwin
Weston Richburg
Jullian Taylor
Damontre Moore
Jerick McKinnon
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 2, 2020

Now that his practice window has been opened with a chance to return on gamedays, the 49ers can no longer attempt to bring any other player off of their injured reserve list. The only other player who would have been the ideal scenario would have been to have D.J. Jones back since the defensive line is the most weakened position with injuries. Once the injuries started piling up, the sack numbers went down dramatically. There is a clear correlation to the lack of sacks and defensive line depth.

Of course, that scenario was impossible since the 49ers needed to play eight games to even consider it. Nevertheless, Alexander's potential return will help sure up the middle of the field for what the pass rush is now lacking. At their current state, this is the healthiest the San Francisco 49ers have been which should make they one of the scariest to face.