Michael Crabtree has finally returned to practice after injuring his Achilles during offseason workouts. The wide receiver was expected to be a center piece in the San Francisco 49ers offense and they were forced to start the season without him. After the passing game as struggled in recent week, the presence of Crabtree comes as a welcoming sight. However, Jim Harbaugh is encouraging patience when it comes to the wide receiver.
The 49ers officially released receiver Kyle Williams that symbolizes just how close Crabtree is close to returning to the field. While Harbaugh did not deny the speculation, but would not confirm that Crabtree would be pumped up to filling the roster spot of Williams. Crabtree has been cleared for physical contract but has not yet been put on the 53-man roster.
"We'll see. I'm not going to make any predictions today on who that is, but we've been encouraged with his progress and there's other options as well," Harbaugh said, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
ESPN.com is reporting that Crabtree was originally expected to return in Week 13 against the St. Louis Rams, but the release of Williams leaves the team short-handed at the receiver position. Williams was second on the team in receiving. Now, Anquan Boldin and Jon Baldwin will take over things. Mario Manningham has officially returned from knee surgery which will make him the third receiver on the team.
The 49ers receiving group will be relied heavily upon against the tough New Orleans Saints defense. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has struggled with ups and downs throughout the season and some of that could be summed up to inconsistencies in the receiving group. Through nine starts, Kaepernick has just nine touchdown passes and six interceptions. Last season, he had 10 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He has also been sacked 19 times.
NFL analyst Trent Dilfer notes that Kaepernick just simply is not as good of a passer as he was a year ago. Against the Carolina Panthers, Kaepernick only netted 91 yards passing. That led to Dilfer claiming Kaepernick has become a remedial passer after his first read is gone. The quarterback quickly responded.
"I didn't hear what he had to say, but he's not in the building with us," Kaepernick said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. "So what he's saying really doesn't affect me at all. I'm worried about what this team thinks, and what I'm doing in here with my teammates."
If the 49ers get Crabtree back this Sunday along with tight end Vernon Davis who was out with a concussion, Kaepernick could be poised for a big game in the passing part of the offense.
