49ers don’t know when Christian McCaffrey will return
The San Francisco 49ers are moving through the early portion of the 2024 season without star running back Christian McCaffrey. His Achilles tendonitis issue will force him to miss at least three more games.
There is a rough time frame for McCaffrey’s return. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that the All-Pro could be out longer than that.
“Nobody knows,” Shanahan said via ESPN. “We’re dealing with tendinitis so, not one person knows. He doesn’t know. We don’t know and [we will] take it day by day.”
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The sensitivity of the injury makes it extremely difficult to determine how much longer McCaffrey will be sidelined. He’s dealing with an injury that is very much so dependent on pain tolerance.
Initially, there wasn’t much concern regarding his long-term health this season. However, McCaffrey was scratched last minute from Week 1 action against the New York Jets.
Shanahan clarified that the decision to place him on the injured reserve was made to give the All-Pro running back time to recover and not force him back onto the field before he was ready.
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The 49ers are looking at the long-term picture as McCaffrey plays a significant part of the puzzle as a key cog in the offense. His absence places more pressure on Brock Purdy to guide offense. Meanwhile, it opens the opportunity for Jordan Mason to receive playing time.
Over the first two weeks of the season, Mason has excelled in the starting role, ranking second in the league with 247 rushing yards along with two touchdowns while rushing for 5.1 yards per carry.
