Kyle Shanahan Says Javon Kinlaw is the Healthiest He Has Been

The 49ers need a healthy season from Javon Kinlaw, and they expect to get one.

Kinlaw is in line to replace D.J. Jones as the 49ers starting nose tackle after Jones signed with the Broncos in free agency.

“I see (Kinlaw) every day working outside my window,” Shanahan said Tuesday at the owner's meetings. “This is the healthiest I’ve seen him since he’s been here. I really think he fixed some of the things that were issues and I’m as excited for him as anyone.”

That's an extremely encouraging statement from Shanahan about the 49ers' 2020 first-round pick. But it's eerily similar to a statement general manager John Lynch made last year a year ago to the day about Dee Ford.

"Dee's doing well," Lynch said on March 29, 2021. "I think he's really in a good place. He's working. He's been here every day. He's working extremely hard. It's encouraging to look out my window and see things progress."

There's that window again.

As you know, Ford's promising offseason was a mirage -- he missed all but six games and he never will play again for the 49ers. So maybe Lynch and Shanahan don't see so well out their office windows, or maybe their offices are really really far away from the training tent.

Or, maybe the true test won't come until Kinlaw actually has to hit people. That was the case with Ford. He was in phenomenal shape last year, but his body couldn't take physical contact anymore. It didn't matter how good he looked to Lynch or Shanahan from a distance in March.

Kinlaw has a knee that could be degenerative. Let's see how long it lasts. The 49ers need a full season from Kinlaw, and some production would be nice, too.