49ers defensive end Tank Carradine will be placed on IR with a high ankle sprain, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter) has learned. The good news is that this isn’t the type of injury to keep a player out of action for months on end. A midseason return certainly seems possible and the Niners may elect to use one of their two IR-DTR (injured reserve, designated to return) spots on the former second-rounder. 
Carradine started in two of the Niners’ first three games this year. The former second round pick has seven tackles and one sack to date. In the limited sample size, Pro Football Focus has him ranked as a top-30 edge defender.
The 28-year-old is slated for free agency after this season. If he can build on his early work, he could be in line for a nice payday in the spring.