San Francisco 49ers will have a bye in the first week of the NFL playoffs, which might give enough time to their linebacker Kwon Alexander to return from his pectoral injury. An additional week for recovery isn’t the only thing that makes Alexander optimistic. It’s also the fact that Houston Texans’ star defensive end J.J. Watt recently managed to recover from a similar injury even faster.
Alexander suffered a torn pectoral just four days after Watt, and seeing Texans’ DE ready to get back on the field got his hopes up.
“I talked to him, and I’m happy to see him back,” he said. “I can’t wait to see him play on Saturday. He lifted me up too a little bit. So I appreciate him. I got his phone number from a teammate just to get in contact with him and see what he’s been doing and stuff like that. You see that he’s back, and he’s been doing well.”
It is unclear whether Alexander will actually manage to recover as fast as Watt, but there are some positive signs. He returned from the Injured Reserve list on Thursday and immediately joined his teammates for practice.
Kwon Alexander, who has 34 tackles and interception in 2019, would provide a big boost for San Francisco’s defense, which played hot and cold in recent weeks. Still, despite his willingness to play, Alexander knows it’s up to head coach Kyle Shanahan to make the final decision.
“Whatever coach tells me, I’m going to be ready for whatever situation it is,” he added.
