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SANTA CLARA -- Linebacker NaVorro Bowman’s window to begin practice opened on Tuesday, but his actual return to the practice field will have to wait at least a week.
Bowman is scheduled to meet with a doctor on Friday to examine his left knee and determine the next steps in his rehabilitation from ACL surgery he underwent in February, 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said.
“He's certainly working his butt off to try to get back,” Fangio said on Thursday. “He’ll take a couple of weeks of practice before we will throw him out in a game. He's in a totally different situation than Aldon (Smith) was. He's coming back from inactivity and an injury, so it’ll be played by ear as we go.”
When asked if Bowman is still experiencing soreless in his surgically repaired knee, Fangio said, “I don’t think so. He hadn’t told me that. I haven’t specifically asked him that.”
The 49ers must make an official decision by Dec. 9 whether to activate Bowman to the 53-man roster or place him on season-ending injured reserve.
