Devastating news emerged from San Francisco 49ers camp on Wednesday as wide receiver Michael Crabtree reportedly tore his Achilles tendon during Tuesday's OTAs, according to USA Today’s Mike Garafolo.
If his Achilles is indeed torn, Crabtree will have to undergo surgery to repair the damage. According to NFL insider Adam Caplan, some of his teammates believe the surgery will be season-ending:
While there is a very real chance Crabtree is forced to miss the entire season, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that all hope isn’t lost for the wide receiver making a comeback in 2013:
As seen with the quick recoveries of other players facing the same type of Achilles injuries—like Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs and Tampa Bay’s Da'Quan Bowers—there's certainly a chance Crabtree is able to return before the season is over.
The competitive receiver will want to be back on the field as soon as possible, particularly with the 49ers primed to make yet another deep postseason run. That said, the Texas Tech product has a long road of rehabilitation ahead before he can achieve the level of success that Bowers and Suggs had after their injuries last year.
Crabtree is coming off the best year of his NFL career, earning career highs in receptions (85), yards (1,105) and touchdowns (nine), and the rapport he has developed with young quarterback Colin Kaepernick signals that the wideout was due for an even better season in 2013.
While it will be a devastating blow to try and fill the void left by Crabtree, San Francisco fortunately has a few viable stopgaps at wide receiver.
Not only did the team sign fourth-round draft pick Quinton Patton on Wednesday, but the Niners also traded for veteran Anquan Boldin in the offseason and will look for more production out of 2012 first-rounder A.J. Jenkins.
Add in the return of Mario Manningham and the continued evolution of tight end Vernon Davis into a pass-catching machine, and the 49ers should have a serviceable receiving corps.
There is always a chance that San Francisco re-signs Randy Moss or another seasoned receiver on a one-year deal, but with a strong draft and smart offseason moves, this is an injury that can likely be remedied in-house.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1648471-michael-crabtree-injury-updates-on-49ers-stars-achilles
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