SANTA CLARA — On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after cornerback Richard Sherman was introduced at his first press conference as a 49er, he offered little doubt as to whether he will return to the field prior to training camp. Sherman suffered a ruptured right Achilles last November.
“I’ll be back on the field in May, June,” Sherman said. “I was back on the treadmill before I had to get the little scope. I look forward to renewing that timeline in the next couple weeks.”
The ‘scope’ Sherman referred to was a minor procedure to remove a bone spur on his left heel. He had dealt with the injury for three years but hadn’t found the right time to undergo surgery until recently. The recovery is only four-to-six weeks for the bone spur, while the timetable for an Achilles rupture is much more extensive.
Sherman has healed quicker than expected. He anticipates returning as the same dominant player he has been throughout his seven-year career.
“With the Achilles or any injury, people like to compare other people, this guy came back like this, this guy came back like that,” Sherman said. “There are some people that are cut from a different cloth and built from different things. I think I am one of those people. I look forward to showing people you can come back better from things.”