49ers Weston Richburg isn’t expected to participate fully until training camp

The center had surgery on his left knee in January

The San Francisco 49ers voluntary workouts begin today. This week will mostly be players doing agility work and conditioning. It’s still a while until players and coaches will run drills and scrimmages. Players who are coming off injuries will only do rehabilitation work. One of those players is center Weston Richburg, who was signed a year ago to a five-year contract that could pay him as much as $47.5 million.

Richburg showed some toughness by playing through his injuries, though it was clear he wasn’t the same player. Richburg was known for his ability to be effective on the move. It was obvious that Richburg wasn’t the same player. Because of the surgery Richburg had in January on his left knee and quadriceps, he’s not expected to play until training camp in July.

Erik Magnuson appeared in four games in Richburg’s absence. Even Mike Person played 10 snaps at center. One of the biggest selling points heading into the year was the 49ers would finally have that cohesion upfront on the offensive line. With guys having played together for an entire year, you usually see improvements in the offense the following year. That will certainly continue to happen once Richburg comes back. Things just might not be as smooth at first. One thing to keep an eye on is how early the 49ers invest in offensive line during the draft. That might let us know the severity of the injury, or what how they feel about the current starters.

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