SANTA CLARA — The 49ers activated Weston Richburg off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and the happiest person might be the center himself.

It was a nine-month road back to finally being cleared for practice and Richburg, who tends towards sarcasm and being gruff, actually looked relaxed and relieved after his first practice with the team.

“It was good,” Richburg said. “It was a long time just rehabbing and taking care of what I needed to take care of to be back.

“It felt really good going today and actually feeling everything working correctly and feeling strong. I didn’t go full speed against our guys, but I think today was a good step in the right direction.”

Richburg reflected on the past season and how challenging it was to not be able to do more or his team.

“It needed to be better,” Richburg said. “It was not a fun year at all. We were 4-12 which is not fun in the first place. When you’re dealing with something like that, when things don’t look the way you want, when you want them to, when you want to be very good it’s frustrating.”

“It’s very difficult. Not a lot of people will understand the things a lot of guys went through last year in this locker room.”

Richburg’s injury occurred back in Week 4 last year, but he managed to play through the season with the exception of one game. He explained that his quadricep tendon was partially torn and had to be re-attached to his kneecap.

“It sucks because the first month and a half you got to keep it locked straight,” Richburg said. “I was on crutches with it locked straight for a month and a half which takes a toll on the muscle and it takes a lot to work it back. It’s been a long one.”

Much has been made of the team’s new player performance department and Richburg is a now a believer even though he might not have started out that way.

“I was in very good hands,” Richburg said. “You can trust them 100-percent with everything that they tell you because they have the player’s best in mind.

“I was a little hesitant at first with new people coming in, being able to trust them with something like this, but being out there today really was a confirmation that they did a good job and they have my best in mind.”

Richburg’s goal is still to be ready for the season-opener against Tampa Bay, which is less than two weeks away.

“It’s going to be a grind,” Richburg said. “The whole offseason has been. My goal has been to be back without missing a game and that’s still my goal. Got to take the steps in the next week two weeks, whatever it is to make sure I’m ready to go down there and play Week 1.

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Maybe even more challenging than the physical recovery from his injury are the mental challenges that he faced.

“I used to think training camp was hard but not doing training camp and sitting there is way harder,” Richburg said. “It feels really good to be back.”