SANTA CLARA -- Upon reporting to training camp Friday, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was cleared for football activity.
But the 49ers are in no hurry to see him go against any defense other than his teammates after his season was cut short a year ago due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Garoppolo will certainly be held out of the team’s first preseason game, Aug. 10 against the Dallas Cowboys. Garoppolo will take part in two joint practices against the Denver Broncos.
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Beyond that, it remains to be seen if Garoppolo will see any game action before the start of the regular season on Sept. 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I think it’s something you kind of feel out through training camp -- see how practice is going, the reps that we’re getting in those,” Garoppolo said Friday. “Preseason is a little different than a normal game, so whatever the coaches and training staff comes up with, I’ll be ready for it.”
Garoppolo took part in most of the 49ers’ offseason program but was held out of 11-on-11 drills as a precaution. The most important thing for the 49ers is for Garoppolo to be available for the entire regular season.
“You want to be out there playing, especially at quarterback,” Garoppolo said. “There’s only one of you. When you get that opportunity, you want to be the guy out there. I think taking it week by week, game by game. You can’t look too far ahead, obviously, or you’ll get yourself in trouble. Got to get through a good training camp healthy and everything, and we’ll be in a good spot.”
San Francisco 49ers
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Garoppolo has started just 10 regular-season games in five NFL seasons. Last summer, he reported to training camp as the club’s franchise quarterback. This offseason, there have been speculation about the 49ers’ readiness to move on from Garoppolo if he does not perform in 2019.
“It’s crazy what a year can do, I’ll tell you what,” Garoppolo said. “I have so much motivation in myself and push myself so much that’s all I need. All the noise on the outside, you kind of tune that out. It is what it is. It’s always going to be there.”