How the 49ers Mismanaged Christian McCaffrey

The 49ers are partly to blame for why Christian McCaffrey will be out at least four games and possibly more as he nurses Achilles Tendonitis.

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

One game down, three more to go until Christian McCaffrey is eligible to come off Injured Reserve.

The San Francisco 49ers placed McCaffrey on I.R. on Sept. 14 due to Achilles tendinitis. Initially, McCaffrey was diagnosed with a calf strain. However, the 49ers later revealed he was dealing with an Achilles injury that turned out to be tendinitis. 

McCaffrey missed the vast majority of training camp and the preseason as a result. Usually, that would garner concern, but both the 49ers and McCaffrey played the injury down. They swore that McCaffrey playing in Week 1 was a guarantee. 

Now, the 49ers find themselves heading into Week 3 and beyond without one of their best players. The 49ers are to blame for this. They completely mismanaged McCaffrey. This entire time they were aware of his injury being more than a calf. Rather than forcing him to sit out and let him heal, they continued to allow him to practice. 

McCaffrey is as tough as they come. He would refuse to come out during games last season, so of course he’s gonna try to play through it. This is where the 49ers have to protect McCaffrey from himself and hold him out of practice. Instead, they proceeded as if the offense was desperate for him, which is why they had him practice.

As a result, McCaffrey would aggravate his Achilles during practice leading up to Week 2 against the Vikings. For over two weeks the 49ers allowed McCaffrey to practice in a limited capacity. That doesn’t allow him continued rest and to get treatment done. Everything he had done up until Week 1 when he returned to practice was erased because of it.

The 49ers should’ve seen this early and placed him on Injured Reserve from the very beginning. At this point, it’s unlikely McCaffrey will be activated off I.R. once he is eligible in Week 6 according to reports. It’ll probably be a little longer than all seen the 49ers wanted to practice him as if their success hinges on it. 

You would think that they would’ve been extra cautious with McCaffrey. They saw Dre Greenlaw have Achilles tendinitis last season and then tear his Achilles shortly after. These injuries are nothing to play with no matter how mild. The 49ers must give McCaffrey as much time as possible to rest up.

Whenever he is ready to return, they must also not overwork him. Save the heavy work for the playoffs. Backup Jordan Mason has proven to be a more than capable player for them. The lesson here for the 49ers is simple. Protect McCaffrey from himself moving forward or risk losing him for the long term.

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