If Anthony Davis returns to football, 49ers line coach Pat Flaherty says that nothing will be given to him, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. 
“And he knows this, coming from me, if he wants to play, then he’s got to come back and prove he can play,” Flaherty said. “It’s got to come from within. You can tell him exactly what I just said, ‘Listen, you’ll have an opportunity to play. But that’s all it is. You decided for whatever reason to retire. If you come back in the game, nothing is going to be handed to you. You’re going to have to work your tail off.’ And the conversation that I’ve had back when I first got here, was he was acceptable to that. Now, I don’t see him. I don’t know why. So I can’t answer that one.”
As of late May, Davis still hasn’t filed for reinstatement from the NFL’s reserve/retired list. Davis also slammed the Niners via social media this offseason when he tweeted, “I do not want to work with a front office or anyone else who seemingly doesn’t want to win as bad as I do.” If he does come back, Davis will be under 49ers control through the 2019 season.
Davis, 26, was San Francisco’s first-round pick in 2010, coming off the board 11th overall. Prior to his retirement, he started 71 games at right tackle for SF, playing all 16 regular season contests in his first four years before being limited to seven games in 2014. Davis dealt with hamstring and knee issues, and also battled concussion problems, which may have contributed to his decision to step away from the game temporarily in 2015. It remains to be seen whether he’ll try and return for 2016.
Here’s more out of San Francisco:
- Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will not be cleared in time to participate in the 49ers’ minicamp this week, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The hope is that Kaep will get the green light closer to training camp.
- At Central Florida, Bruce Miller made his name as a defensive end. Then, when he was drafted by the 49ers, he was asked to move to fullback. However, coach Chip Kelly isn’t interested in using a fullback, so he now has Miller working out at both tight end and wide receiver, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. If the former seventh-round pick can’t adjust to the new role, however, he may not have a spot on San Francisco’s roster.
- Recently, free agent wide receiver James Jones indicated that he would like to join the 49ers. Of course, at this stage of the offseason, Jones isn’t in a position to be picky. Jones is intrigued by staying close to home in SF and would like to join a contender, but he confesses that he’ll “play wherever.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.