San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead has not played since Week 13 due to foot and knee injuries, leaving his playoff status in jeopardy.
However, 49ers general manager John Lynch thinks there is hope that Armstead can play in the postseason.
“That’s our hope,” Lynch said on KNBR this week. “The one seed, when you talk about what it means, it means some extra time for a guy like Arik, who’s been working through some foot and knee injuries and making a great deal of progress. But this just gives him a little extra time.”
San Francisco locked down a first-round bye in the playoffs, so Armstead will get an extra week of rest to potentially get healthy for the Divisional Round.
Armstead is one of the Niners’ top defensive linemen and is crucial to the team’s success in the trenches.
“And it’s been killing Arik. He wants to be out there for his team, but this extra time just allows him more opportunity to heal up, and Arik’s a big part of what we do. So he’s working hard,” continued Lynch. “We expect to have him for the playoffs. We hope to. I don’t know about ‘expect to’ because you always have to hit these markers, and we’ll turn up the intensity of his training as we get closer. And he’s doing real well.”
Through 12 games, Armstead has logged 27 tackles and five sacks.
Armstead, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oregon, was selected by the 49ers with the 17th overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft.
The 30-year-old has been a key fixture along San Francisco’s defensive front ever since, with his best year coming in 2019 when he racked up 54 tackles and 10 sacks.
The Niners are 12-4 and will conclude their regular season by taking on the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday.
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