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          49ers CB Will Redmond won't return from injured reserve

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterNov 8, 2016, 08:30 PM
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Tuesday was supposed to be the day that San Francisco 49ers rookie cornerback Will Redmond was activated from injured reserve and officially joined the team's 53-man roster for the first time. It wasn't.

          In fact, Redmond, whom the 49ers designated as their lone player to return from injured reserve three weeks ago, is not going to be activated at all and will revert to the team's non-football injury version of injured reserve Tuesday afternoon, defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil confirmed.

          The Niners opened Redmond's 21-day window to start practicing three weeks ago in hopes that he'd be able to return from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered last October while playing at Mississippi State. At the end of the window Tuesday, the Niners had to make a decision whether to activate Redmond or send him back to injured reserve, ending his season.

          When the 49ers used a third-round pick on Redmond in this year's draft, general manager Trent Baalke expressed certainty that Redmond would be able to contribute in 2016.

          “He will be healthy,” Baalke told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He will be ready to go. So that’s a simple answer to a simple question.”

          As it turned out, Redmond wasn't ready at the beginning of the season when the team placed him on injured reserve in September and he still isn't ready to go after participating in practice the last three weeks.

          According to a team spokesman, the 49ers cannot use the return designation on another player though it doesn't matter much at this point because anyone who would come back at least six weeks from now would be doing so late in a lost season.

          When the Niners opened Redmond's practice window, he was apparently making progress in his return, but when he started practicing that progress slowed to the point that he's going to have to shut it down for the season.

          Since 2013, the Niners have used seven draft picks on players coming off serious knee injuries. Of those seven, only backup outside linebacker Tank Carradine and reserve cornerback Keith Reaser are on the 53-man roster. Receiver DeAndre Smelter is on the practice squad.