49ers Rumors: Jimmy Garoppolo to 'Be Fully Cleared Around Mid-August' from Injury

A mid-August return for Jimmy Garoppolo is being targeted, according to reports.

The San Francisco 49ers are thrilled with where Garoppolo is in his recovery.

Rapoport said that he is progressing well and working with a physical therapist every day. He will be fully cleared by mid-August and will be able to make all the throws down the field. The expectation is that Jimmy Garoppolo is as healthy as possible for the 49ers. He is expected to have a stronger rotator cuff when he gets through this.

Ian Rapoport @RapSheet

Jimmy G has been throwing for several weeks. The focus will be not on making one deep throw but on making many in a row to hold up to the rigors of a game or in a practice. That's what full clearance would mean. The belief is the cuff will end up stronger than before. https://t.co/n1tySCgSEm

The trade market for Garoppolo has been explored by the 49ers as they look to give the franchise keys to Lance. Garoppolo's uncertain health is the main reason teams are hesitant to give much compensation.

While Garoppolo has been on the mend, the number of teams looking for a starting quarterback has gone down. The only team without a locked in starter is the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers probably wouldn't want to trade Garoppolo in the west.

The best bet for the 49ers may be the Cleveland Browns, who will likely be without their starting quarterback for a significant portion of the season. The league's personal conduct policy states that if a player is accused of sexual assault, they will be suspended for a year.

It's possible that the Browns have bigger plans than the one-year contract that Jacoby Brissett signed. Cleveland's salary cap room is more than enough to absorb Garoppolo's contract of over twenty million dollars.

Assuming Garoppolo would be willing to take a slight pay cut in order to facilitate the trade and land some guarantees, the Browns could get a high-quality stopgap for whenWatson is out and a backup for when he comes back.