SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Christian McCaffrey says the Achilles tendonitis issue that kept him sidelined over the first eight weeks of the season is behind him.
“I feel good now,” McCaffrey said after Friday’s practice. “No, I wouldn’t be out here if it was still bothering me. I feel great.”
The San Francisco 49ers officially listed McCaffrey as questionable on the injury report heading into Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay. But that’s largely a technicality since McCaffrey remains on injured reserve. The plan, coach Kyle Shanahan said, is to activate McCaffrey on Saturday and watch him make his 2024 debut against the Buccaneers.
“We’ll take him off IR tomorrow, and then he’ll be good to go unless something crazy happens on this plane ride,” Shanahan said. “He should be good to go tomorrow once he gets off IR.”
McCaffrey missed most of training camp due to tendonitis in both Achilles. He was on track to play in the opener against the New York Jets when the issue flared. When it happened ahead of Week 2, too, the 49ers placed him on IR.
The running back declined to discuss why he went to Germany in late September saying, “When you’re on IR, you’re hurt, you’ll do anything to come back.” He did indicate, however, that it required more than rest to get on top of the issue.
“I wish it was that easy,” he said.
Perhaps no 49er trains as intensely as McCaffrey, who uses an array of approaches to both stay in peak physical form and to avoid injuries. That’s what made the Achilles situation so frustrating, he said, and he admitted to “dark” moments over the last two months.
“I think about football pretty much every day of my life,” he said. “It consumes about 98 percent of my life. And so when it doesn’t go right it can be very tough. All I know is that it makes you realize how blessed and fortunate you are to (be able) to play on that field.”
The question now becomes whether the 49ers will rein in McCaffrey’s carries. He had one of the heaviest workloads of any runner last season when he led the league in rushing yards, and on three occasions he played 100 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps, which is rare for a modern-day tailback.
His top backup, Jordan Mason, is a full go this week after dealing with a shoulder injury in the last three games. Rookie Isaac Guerendo also made strides while McCaffrey was out.
Though McCaffrey’s return gives the 49ers a big confidence boost as they begin the second half of their schedule, it’s not as if they’re emerging from the bye as a healthy squad.
The team listed 17 players on its practice participation report during the week with three, defensive end Nick Bosa (hip), safety Malik Mustapha (calf) and backup quarterback Brandon Allen (left finger), getting hurt in practice this week. Bosa and Mustapha are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Shanahan said Bosa suffered “a little hip pointer” early in Wednesday’s practice and that the defensive end was “extremely limited” in practice from that point on. Bosa warmed up as usual but didn’t take part in the Thursday and Friday practices.
“We’ll see Sunday,” Shanahan said when asked if Bosa will be restricted in the game.
Receiver Deebo Samuel (rib, oblique) and offensive lineman Jon Feliciano also are listed as questionable. Three 49ers have been ruled out of the game: receiver Chris Conley (hamstring), defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin) and cornerback Charvarius Ward, who is mourning his 23-month-old daughter, Amani Joy, who passed away last month.
Receiver Jauan Jennings (hip) and kicker Jake Moody (ankle) aren’t on the injury report.
(Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
