San Francisco was sitting at 5-1 through their bye week, or as head coach Jim Harbaugh calls it, “Improvement Week.” After knocking off the previously unbeaten Lions, the 49ers look like one of the major contenders in the NFC to the defending champion Packers, and they are going to be adding a major weapon as Pro Bowl wide receiver Braylon Edwards returns from a knee injury.
“We’re very hopeful that Braylon is back after the improvement week,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said.
“It’s going to be a big week for him. This will be a big week getting on the field, starting to jog, run, make cuts. We’ll see how much progress he can make to know if we’ll get him back.”
This would be just in time for Edwards to face his old team, the Cleveland Browns, who travel to San Francisco for Sunday’s game.
This is Edwards first year with the 49ers, and he was injured in the second game against Dallas, so he hasn’t really had a chance to make a contribution yet. He played for 5 years in Cleveland and then 2 with the Jets before coming to San Francisco.
Last year with the Jets, he had 53 receptions for 904 yards and 7 TDs, which was his best year since 2007, when he broke out in Cleveland with 1,289 yards and 16 TDs.
At 6’3” and 214 pounds, he has the size, as well as the speed and hands to provide a deep threat for the 49ers, who could use a boost in their passing game. The 49ers boast the 6th best rushing attack in the league, but are ranked 31st in passing, averaging only 171 yards per game.
Harbaugh built the team around power running, an opportunistic defense and a short, controlled passing game. When the team lost their leading receiver for the season, Josh Morgan, to a broken leg, they relied even more on the running game.
Edwards joins TE Vernon Davis, who is leading the team with 271 yards receiving and 3 TDs and WR Michael Crabtree, who has loads of natural talent but who hasn’t delivered on it yet, with 209 yards and no TDs this season. Combined with Frank Gore running the ball (541 yards and 5 TDs), adding Edwards could allow the 49ers to really open things up.
Quarterback Alex Smith will appreciate getting an additional deep threat, and he has been taking the concept of “improvement week” seriously as well, “I think it’s all a race to get better. For myself, [I'm] certainly not where I want to be. So it’s about what are the next steps I can take to get there.”
The 49ers haven’t made the playoffs since 2002, but they look poised to break that streak this year, and getting Edwards back and healthy can provide one of the key missing pieces to a serious playoff run.
