San Francisco 49ers' McCaffrey nearing a return

Nothing is set in stone, but if all goes well, CMC could very well be in uniform and available to play the next time the 49ers take the field.

Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) walks off the field after the game against the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are currently sitting even-steven at 4-4 heading into their bye week, with a season thus far that has been decimated by a rash of injuries that have hampered the reigning NFC champions’ hopes of reaffirming themselves as the team to beat. But this week off could lead to the turnaround that the 49ers desperately need, as reinforcements in the form of Stanford legend Christian McCaffrey could soon be on their way back.

After the 49ers’ week eight win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, head coach Kyle Shanahan provided updates on the injured players and their statuses for after the bye week, including McCaffrey, stating that he is expecting the reigning Offensive Player of the Year to really ramp up his workouts this week with the expectation that he can return to practice next week with full intentions of him making his season debut against the Buccaneers in week 10.

“It depends on how this week goes,” Shanahan said via an NBC Sports article by Jennifer Lee Chan. “He’s had no setbacks so it looks like we are on track, but he’s going to hit it hard this week while we’re gone, and kind of simulate some practice stuff for himself. As long as it all goes good, hopefully, we will get him back in practice next week.”

Dealing with a calf injury since training camp, there was initial optimism that McCaffrey would be available for the start of the season. However, after missing week one, it was soon discovered that he had Achilles tendinitis in both legs, which ultimately led to him being placed on the injured reserve. Having yet to play this season, McCaffrey has been hard at work trying to get back on the field, with his stint on the IR taking pressure off of him coming back too soon.

“I think it was tough at first when we did it in training camp and felt like he was going to be ready for Week 1,” Shanahan also said on Monday. “Then after we decided to put him on IR, I think it’s been pretty easy. That’s why we did decide to do that, because we knew it would be at least a month and shut him down for a while and now build him up slowly and things have been going well. It’s going to be nice to get him back hopefully.”

Last season, McCaffrey helped the 49ers become one of the NFL’s highest scoring offenses and was a key part in the team’s berth in Super Bowl LVIII where despite falling to the Chiefs, McCaffrey was one of the game’s best players. His 22 carries for 80 yards was the highest in the game for either team while he also caught eight passes for 80 yards, leading all 49ers receivers, and caught the 49ers’ first touchdown of the game.

McCaffrey’s return will provide a major boost for the 49ers, who have relied on Jordan Mason to handle business in the backfield, and will not only give them two strong running backs, but it will bring the offense closer to how it was last year which could be the ticket to a sixth Super Bowl title.