49ers Place Christian McCaffrey on Injured Reserve

The 49ers are placing Christian McCaffrey on Injured Reserve due to his Achilles injury, which will force him to miss the next four games.

Sep 9, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) watches from the sideline due to injury during the second quarter against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are placing Christian McCaffrey on Injured Reserve as he nurses Achilles tendonitis, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. This reported news comes a day after head coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers were considering this.

“It’s something we're considering now, yeah," said Shanahan on placing McCaffrey on Injured Reserve. "Yesterday was his worst day. It's on and off, but with yesterday, having the most pain, it’s something we're going to be discussing here in the next 24 hours.”

Placing McCaffrey on Injured Reserve will keep him out of action for the next four games. It is smart of the 49ers to do that now and not wait until after Week 2. Had they waited, then the earliest McCaffrey would've returned was Week 7.

It's a bummer to not have McCaffrey to start the season, but it would've been worse if they forced him to play. The 49ers don't need him right now. They are not a desperate offense with a lack of talent. When they need him will be towards the second half of the season for their playoff push.

By holding him out for the next month, the 49ers increase their chances of getting a healthy McCaffrey. Backup Jordan Mason is more than capable of keeping the offense at a high level in the meantime. He did so against the New York Jets in Week 1.

Thankfully the 49ers were not stubborn on this matter. Before Friday, Shanahan said the 49ers weren't considering Injured Reserve as an option for McCaffrey. He shut that down outright to begin the practice week. Unfortunately, it took one bad outing in practice for McCaffrey's condition to worsen and for the 49ers to change their mind.

“[W]e have to be really smart and understand that this is a long year and we need Christian fully healthy and out there, and don’t want to compromise anything,” said general manager John Lynch to KNBR on Friday (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We’re going to do what’s right for Christian, right for our team.”

The 49ers have made the right choice with McCaffrey. Let him rest up and get treatment done so that he can be good to go when the 49ers actually need him.