Kyle Shanahan Says Javon Kinlaw has "Been Unbelievable"

Javon Kinlaw received some high praise from Kyle Shanahan. Here is what Shanahan had to say about the 49ers former first-round pick.

Javon Kinlaw has had a fairly poor start to his NFL career.

It isn't tied to any performance issues. It is the fact that he can hardly stay healthy since he became a pro. Kinlaw has just had a ton of misfortune with injuries, but this offseason is the first time since he was drafted when injuries did not play a factor. Because of that, he is now able to actually work on his craft instead of trying to rehab and recover.

"Kinlaw’s been unbelievable," said Kyle Shanahan. "Just in the fact that, I mean, you guys see how he looks, and he's just gone a full year with no setbacks. And so to get through OTAs with that and then our 40 days away, it continued. And as that happens he just keeps looking better and better and everyone knows the specimen that he is, so now hopefully that can continue through training camp so he can really tie that to football. And if he can do that and stay healthy, with the way he's worked and the way his talent is and his mindset, I feel it's a matter of time for him.”

The 49ers did not pick up the fifth-year option on Kinlaw's deal, so he is playing on the final year of his rookie contract. It made no sense for the 49ers to pick the option up given his availability issues, but now Kinlaw has a chance to make a case to come back and add some value to himself. It cannot be understated how beneficial it is for him to actually get to improve himself in the offseason. Rather than figuring out how to get used to playing football again, he can now strengthen his weaknesses.

Against the Eagles in the NFC Championship, there were multiple videos where Kinlaw was getting pushed like a ragdoll. That had to have irritated him and been used as fuel in the offseason. For Shanahan to say that he's "been unbelievable" means he's astonished with how Kinlaw looks, especially because he actually got to start training camp on time with everyone. 2023 just might be Kinlaw's best season, but that does not mean the 49ers can forget about how injury prone he is.

"We're trying to be as smart with him as possible, but for the first time in a couple years he's been healthy enough to get himself in a position to where he can be treated like everyone else, just getting normal reps and everything. And if he is able to do that, I think things will work out very well for him.”

The chances are likely that Kinlaw will find himself hurt again as he has proven since he entered the league. That's been his pattern, but you never know. Perhaps he ends up finding some luck this season and can finally put it all together. So far, so good for him as training camp starts.