The 49ers have been plagued by injury issues over the last several weeks, but on Saturday, they received some positive news.
San Francisco activated defensive lineman Ronald Blair from injured reserve, and Blair is now eligible to make his season debut on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Blair was the first of three fifth-round selections for the 49ers in 2016, and played in all 16 games during his rookie season. The Appalachian State product finished his rookie season with 11 tackles and 3.0 sacks, but has yet to play this season due to a thumb injury that sidelined him at the end of the preseason.
Blair began practicing again on October 18, and is returning as early as the injured reserve window allows a player to be activated. Any player placed on injured reserve must sit out at least eight weeks, and teams are only allowed to activate two players from injured reserve over the course of the season.
Because the 49ers have already lost Arik Armstead and Tank Carradine to the injured reserve list, and because Solomon Thomas is sidelined for a few weeks with an injury, Blair’s return comes at a critical time for a San Francisco defensive line that’s short on depth.