NFL
Richard Sherman’s Achilles 100%
Richard Sherman’s Achilles 100% and ready for training camp with the San Francisco 49ers. By passing his physical and being medically cleared to participate in training camp, Sherman has earned his $2 million roster bonus.
Sherman suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the 2017 season while playing against the Arizona Cardinals. The then Seattle Seahawk was unable to return to the field in 2017 due to season-ending surgery to repair the ruptured tendon.
The Seahawks were unwilling to take a chance on Richard Sherman’s Achilles injury, so they released the 30-year-old veteran cornerback during the offseason. San Francisco were quick to enter negotiations with the All-Pro cornerback. Signing Sherman to a three-year $27 million contract with $7 million in guaranteed money.
The signing of Sherman has added that much-needed depth the 49ers were looking for to add to their secondary. Sherman by all accounts has been instrumental during the Niners offseason.
While he was unable to participate in OTA’s, the veteran cornerback spent his time coaching up and providing advice to the young Niners defensive backs. Even including rookie Ahkello Witherspoon in his mini training camp with other elite NFL corners.
Richard Sherman Press Conference
Richard Sherman was kind enough to sit down with reporters during day 1 of training camp.
When asked what the process was like to get to the point where he would be ready for training camp, Sherman replied:
“It was a grind, but it was one of those things where you can look at it optimistically or pessimistically. You can look at it as why did this happen to me, or you can look at it like man I needed another great challenge, and I need another mountain to climb. I look forward to climbing that mountain, and that’s the way I treated it. Every day was another step and another growth, and obviously, there were setbacks either mentally, physically or emotionally. But it was one of those things where you allow yourself to see what you’re really made of when you go through things like this.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan Speaks
During his press conference, Coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Sherman’s plan and what he expected out of him:
“I just want to see him get comfortable. It’s different with Richard. There’s lots of guys on our team we’re real excited about, and we think has a chance at a real good future and some guys who have had some success. But Richard is one of our few guys who has done it for a longer time. We’ve all played against him, we know what Richard is, and Richard is also a guy who I think we trust how he thinks, how he works. We know it’s important for him to get out there as anyone in this world. He’s someone we’re going to communicate to a lot.
A lot of it is up to Richard. Now, we’ve got to make sure if Richard is being a little too aggressive, it’s our job to pull him back a little bit. But, we’ve got to communicate the right way because really, all I really care about Richard is him getting himself back to being Richard by Week 1 and if he can’t do it by then, then just be honest with us because it’s a matter of time when he gets back and we just want to make sure we’re smart with that and don’t have a setback.”
General Manager John Lynch Added
“One thing I would add to that, Sherm, Kyle’s been around a lot of football in the NFL. I’ve been around a lot of football in the NFL. People always associate the high IQ, the smartest football players; they’re usually talking about quarterbacks. I would tell you in the capacities I’ve been around him in the short time we’ve had him, he’s one of the most intelligent football players I’ve been around. The way he understands concepts. I know he and Kyle will get to talking, and even the way he understands offense.
We really do believe that that is contagious. Then his work habits. He hasn’t been on the field much, but he’s already had a huge impact on the guys around him. That’s a real positive thing. We do, also, we brought him in here to be a heck of a player, so I think he’ll provide that both for us.”
One thing’s for sure, if Richard Sherman’s Achilles is healed and he can still dominate the field, the 49ers have struck gold with this signing.
