SANTA CLARA, Calif. — And on the first day of the rest of their 2024 season, the San Francisco 49ers received a resounding jolt of hope.
Their midseason boost arrived in the form of a 5-foot-11, 209-pound running back who quite literally had a bounce in his step as he practiced with his teammates for the first time in 53 days.
According to numerous witnesses, Christian McCaffrey, participating in Monday’s “bonus” practice that followed the Niners’ bye week, looked like, well, the dude who was the NFL’s preeminent offensive weapon in 2023.
“Awesome,” was the one-word assessment of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who quickly became reacquainted with the halfback’s burst.
“I went to hand it off,” Purdy recounted, reaching out his arm and extending it while leaning forward, “and it was like, ‘Ah man.’”
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Clearly, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year is in a hurry. As McCaffrey pushes to return from tendinitis in both Achilles and help San Francisco launch a patented second-half surge, there will be plenty of stressed-out people in the organization, from the team’s training staff to coach Kyle Shanahan, who are worried about potential setbacks.
For “Run CMC,” as the past two months have demonstrated, this specific injury is undeniably tricky.
McCaffrey’s practice window officially opened Monday, meaning the team will have 21 days to activate him or shelve him for the season. If all goes well, the All-Pro running back could make his 2024 debut Sunday, when the 49ers (4-4) hit the road to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Nothing is guaranteed, but to McCaffrey’s teammates, Monday represented a massive step forward.
“The boys are back,” cornerback Deommodore Lenoir proclaimed after practice. “Christian is a player, man; he’s a dawg. All I know is, McCaffrey for MVP. You need 11 sets of eyes on him at all times.”
For those less familiar with bearing first-hand witness to McCaffrey’s skill set, Monday’s practice effort was eye-opening.
“Just the way he’s moving — he’s got that pop,” rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall said. “I told him, ‘You’re looking bouncy, bro.’ When they split him out, he looked like a receiver out there. It will be really cool to play with him, and hopefully that happens soon.”
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For the defending NFC champions, who’ve blown two games to division opponents and have yet to register a signature victory this season, that would be a real bonus.
After all, McCaffrey is coming off a spectacular 2023 season, having led the NFL with 339 touches, 1,459 rushing yards and 2023 yards from scrimmage. And his value as a chess piece — a uniquely versatile player who, because of his receiving ability, allows Shanahan to manipulate opposing defenses by changing formations before the snap — may be even greater.
The 49ers have stayed potent on the ground in his absence, with third-year halfback Jordan Mason emerging as a powerful runner with good vision. Mason, despite being hampered by a sprained shoulder since the team’s Oct. 10 road victory over the Seattle Seahawks, ranks fourth in the NFL with 685 rushing yards and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Rookie Isaac Guerendo, who has spelled Mason in recent weeks, is averaging 6.1 yards per rush.
Yet with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, out for the season with a torn ACL, Shanahan’s offense lacks its usual juice. To the struggling 49ers — who are tied with the Los Angeles Rams for second place in the NFC West, a half-game behind the Arizona Cardinals — McCaffrey’s potential return rekindles the optimism that after four close calls in five seasons, they can finally capture a sixth Lombardi Trophy.
His prolonged absence was something none of them saw coming. After skipping the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason workouts, McCaffrey, in early June, signed a two-year, $38 million extension that bolstered his status as the league’s highest-paid running back.
He participated in the early stages of training camp but, on Aug. 6, Shanahan announced that the 28-year-old running back had suffered a calf injury that would likely shelve him for the preseason.
McCaffrey, who’d suffered a mild calf strain in a late-season victory over the Washington Commanders last Dec. 31, then had “Achilles” added to his injury designation as the 2024 regular season approached. He was a surprise scratch for the opener, and the following Saturday — two days after experiencing pain during a Sept. 12 practice — he was placed on injured reserve, with “bilateral Achilles tendinitis” as the designation.
Since that time, McCaffrey’s status has been shrouded in mystery. He has not spoken to reporters since going on IR; he declined to comment during Monday’s open locker-room session. When the 49ers traveled to L.A. to face the Rams in Week 3, McCaffrey flew to Germany, where he sought treatment from a doctor in Munich.
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According to Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, McCaffrey has since tried to “ramp up” his activity while hoping to avoid setbacks. Over the past several days, while his teammates were enjoying their bye-week break, McCaffrey was pushed through a series of simulated practices to prepare for his return.
So far, so good — though there’s always the fear that the Achilles tendon (in either leg) could give out under the stress of game or practice activity. That would be cataclysmic for a team that turned around its season after trading for McCaffrey before the 2022 trade deadline and is seeking a similar dose of potency this year.
Since McCaffrey joined the team, the 49ers are 22-4 in games he has started and 4-6 in those he hasn’t. That would explain the joyous buzz that circulated through the practice field on Monday and the upbeat comments that followed, one of which potentially holds more weight than others.
Said Pearsall, “He seemed like he was really happy.”
Will the good vibes last? The answer to that may define the 49ers’ season.
(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
