© Stan Szeto | 2021 Jul 28
The news out of training camp regarding Dee Ford has been positive, but 49ers general manager John Lynch took it one step further on Wednesday.
“I think the most encouraging thing is there was times throughout last year and this offseason where it really was unclear, are we going to have him or not?” Lynch told KNBR. “The greatest news to me is we are going to have him. Not just like a watered-down version of him, he looks like the Dee Ford we went out and traded for. If we can carry that into the season, watch out.”
It’s quite a statement about a player who was reportedly headed for retirement this offseason due to a back issue that has plagued him throughout his career. Ford played in just one game in 2020 after appearing in 11 the year prior.
The player they traded for was the Dee Ford who was coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2018, where he stared all 16 games with the Chiefs and had 13 sacks.
“He’s got as good of first step as any defensive end in football, he also plays with a tremendous amount of power. When a guy can get off the ball and get guys on their heels, then also he plays with that long arm. Then he has that unique skill when he gets to the quarterback he has a really high rate of getting the ball out.”
Listen to the full interview below.