The 49ers did the expected on Tuesday and announced that linebacker NaVorro Bowman will return to practice with the team for the first time this season.
There’s some doubt about whether or not Bowman’s surgically repaired knee will be well enough for him to return to the field this season, but the team will get the next three weeks to figure it out while putting Bowman through his paces on the field. He’s expected to be a limited participant in practice this week.
Bowman isn’t the only player making his return to the practice field. The Niners announced that tight end Garrett Celek, offensive lineman Brandon Thomas and cornerback Keith Reaser. Celek has been on the PUP list because of a back injury while Reaser, a fifth-round pick this year, has recovering from a torn ACL last October.
Thomas tore his ACL while working out for the Saints before the draft and signed with the 49ers with the knowledge he wouldn’t play this season. Reaser is also expected to miss the entire year, but both players can get some on-field work in over the next three weeks to help them start preparing for 2015.
