Running back Christian McCaffrey had a historic year in 2023, but his 2024 season is not as positive from the start. McCaffrey is on injured reserve and has been sidelined all season with an Achilles injury that took him all the way to Germany to see a specialist on the issue.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch gave an update on the team’s plan to get their star running back ready to be back on the field.
“We had to take it easy,” Lynch said when discussing McCaffrey’s tendinitis, via KNBR. “The plan was to give it the time to do that and then at some point in a thoughtful way to bring him back.”
The GM also addressed reports of the German trip and confirmed where No. 23 is now.
“What he does and where he goes, he has people who work on his body and have for a long time,” Lynch said. “Now he’s back here and we’re going to have to hit some markers and try to ramp up. God willing, the thing has settled down and we can build him up in a smart, thoughtful way.”
The exact details of the plan to “build him up” and how long he will be sidelined for this season are not yet known.
McCaffrey will be sidelined for at least two more weeks, given his IR designation. The earliest he can return is Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Earlier this week, coach Kyle Shanahan noted that the team would have a “a better idea” of McCaffrey’s status during the “next two weeks.”
“The whole point of putting him on IR is to guarantee that we wouldn’t be able to do anything for at least four weeks,” Shanahan said. “And two weeks into it, the whole point was just to rest him for two weeks and not do that.”
McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards (1,459) and had the third-most rushing touchdowns (14) in 2023. He was pivotal in the team’s playoff run, with 268 yards on the ground along with four rushing touchdowns in the postseason.
The 49ers will likely be without wide receiver Deebo Samuel this Sunday for their Week 4 matchup against the New England Patriots as he continues to deal with a calf strain. Tight end George Kittle, who was sidelined in last week’s loss to the Rams, is expected to play.
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