After taking a year off to get right both physically and mentally, it appears that San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis will be returning to the team.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the former first-round pick has applied for reinstatement to the NFL and will look to play this upcoming season:
Former 49ers OT Anthony Davis, who abruptly retired last June, will apply for reinstatement and wants to play in 2016, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2016
Schefter’s wording here is a bit wonky. Technically, Davis is still a member of the 49ers. After starting all 71 games in which he appeared during his first four NFL seasons, Davis remains under contract for the next four seasons.
Remember, he signed a five-year, $33.2 million extension with the team back in April of 2013. That doesn’t automatically become voided simply because he “retired” for a season.
This is some relatively big news for a franchise that has been without actual good news for some time now.
Davis will immediately slot back in at right tackle, forming an elite-level pair of starting offensive tackles with Pro Bowler Joe Staley.
He’s also set to count just $5.2 million against the cap, a relatively low number for one of the best run-blocking tackles in the NFL.
This fills a void along an offensive line that had to send Erik Pears out there as a starting right tackle for a vast majority of the games last season.