After Dee Ford limped through last season while missing considerable time with knee troubles, the 49ers pass rushing star revealed Friday he took a huge step toward solving his injury woes.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, it involved Ford needing “pretty extensive” arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks after the Super Bowl.
“I had a severe case of tendinitis. With my position, that’s a blown tire,” Ford said Friday morning on a Zoom call with reporters.
And, while Ford told reporters the procedure has left him feeling great, he admitted he isn’t sure when he’ll be able to play.
“There’s no real time line. Any time you’re dealing with a chronic issue, you’re always on the clock,” he said. “If I’m able to play, I’m going to play. Right now, I’m just getting as healthy as I can.
“With everything that’s going on right now, it’s hard to measure the percentage, but I feel great,” Ford added. “I know exactly what I felt like last year. Doing the things I’m doing now, it’s like night and day.”
That’s the good news for the 49ers, who could use a resurgence by Ford, whose base salary of $13.6 million makes him their second-highest paid player behind Jimmy Garoppolo and his $23.8 million salary.
The 49ers were only able to use Ford on 22 percent of their defensive snaps after acquiring him from the Chiefs before last season. Ford, who also missed five games with hamstring issues with his left leg, was able to manage 6.5 sacks while playing parts of 11 games.
Ford missed most of 2019 training camp and then needed a platelet-rich plasma injection in his troubled left knee to help with the pain. But Ford’s pain persisted throughout his season and limited his availability. In the games he was able to suit up, Ford still averaged just 18 snaps after a season-high 40 snaps in the opener.
49ers general manager John Lynch said shortly after the season Ford’s troubles wouldn’t require surgery. But Ford was soon thereafter in Florida, where Dr. James Andrews was performing his knee cleanup.
“I’m confident moving forward,” Ford said. “I feel great right now. I’m able to actually explode off this knee. Thinking back, I can’t believe I played a whole season on it.”
