San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Dee Ford did not practice on Friday as a result of knee tendinitis, according to Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle.
The 49ers acquired Ford in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this offseason, sending a second-round pick to the Chiefs in return.
Ford is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played all 16 games and racked up 55 tackles, 13 sacks and seven forced fumbles en route to a Pro Bowl appearance, so he is expecting to be a big part of San Francisco's front seven this year.
The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Auburn University, was originally selected by Kansas City in the first round (23rd pick overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.
He appeared in 16 contests in a reserve role during his rookie year, logging just seven tackles and 1.5 sacks. Then, the following season, Ford saw a bit more playing time, registering 23 tackles and four sacks.
It wasn't until his third season in the league that Ford really broke out, as he participated in 15 games as a full-time starter in 2016 and finished with 38 tackles, 10 sacks and a forced fumble.
Injuries then limited Ford to just six games in 2017, as he totaled 13 tackles, a couple of sacks and a forced fumble.
The Niners tallied just 37 sacks as a team this past year, so their pass rush can certainly use all the help it can get, and so long as Ford gets healthy, he play a significant role in improving it.
The 49ers won just four games in 2018.
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