Stanford legend McCaffrey expected to officially return this week for the 49ers

Last year's Offensive Player of the Year is back as the 49ers begin their playoff push.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) scores a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half of Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The long awaited return of San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finally has a date. Out since training camp with Achilles tendinitis in both legs, the 49ers have been forced to play their first eight games without star running back and former Stanford legend, McCaffrey, instead forced to rely on depth pieces like Jordan Mason to get by.

While Mason has performed admirably, the return of McCaffrey has been a question that has burned within the 49ers locker room, as the undeniably strong impact of the reigning Offensive Player of the Year on the field is always needed for a team looking to win its sixth Super Bowl.

After eight games and nine weeks, McCaffrey is finally back. After returning to practice this week, he is expected to be activated and ready to go on Sunday when the 49ers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Practicing for the first time once again on November 4, McCaffrey has been limited, but he has not experienced any pain in either Achilles, with head coach Kyle Shanahan fully expecting for CMC to be on the field when the team takes the field in Tampa.

“He's been awesome these last 2 days,” Shanahan said on Tolbert & Copes, a prominent Bay Area radio show. “Hopefully that continues to go well. I expect to get him out there."

The 49ers opened McCaffrey’s 21-day practice window at the start of the week, meaning that the team had that amount of time before needing to choose whether to activate him or shut him down the rest of the season. However, the players that the 49ers have opened the practice windows for, most notably wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and defensive lineman Kalia Davis, all went on to be activated for that week’s game.

Sitting at 4-4, the return of McCaffrey comes at a good time as the 49ers are currently fighting in a tough NFC for a playoff spot. After beating the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers went on their bye week where the return of players like McCaffrey should help in the team’s pursuit to get back to the Super Bowl. But before they can do that, they must take down a tough Buccaneers team that has shown signs of greatness this season.