Christian McCaffrey’s Week 10 status gets clearer as 49ers running back awaits season debut
- Christian McCaffrey has yet to play this year because he is struggling with an Achilles tendon problem
Christian McCaffrey has yet to play for the 49ers this season, but his status for this weekend’s game against the Bucs became clearer when coach Kyle Shanahan provided an update on radio station KNBR.
The running back, who was placed on injured reserve in September with Achilles tendonitis in both legs, began practicing for San Francisco this week.
And barring any last-minute changes, the 28-year-old will return to action on Sunday, according to Shanahan.
“He’s been great the last two days,” Shanahan said on his KNBR radio hit according to ESPN.
‘You never know [about] a setback or something, but these two days have been great and I expect to see him out there.”
Christian McCaffrey is expected to make his season debut this weekend against the Bucs
The running back played a crucial role in the 49ers reaching the Super Bowl last year
On Monday, San Francisco opened McCaffrey’s 21-day practice period, returning from injured reserve.
He also participated to a limited extent on Wednesday and Thursday, with the last session being the only padded training of the week.
“It was great,” quarterback Brock Purdy said of McCaffrey’s return to practice.
“Just what he brings to the table and really just lets everyone else down.” We all come out of the bye week feeling good and fresh and then you get 2-3 next to you in the backfield, it was great. Looks great moving around and it’s moving in the right direction. So we are curious to see what happens.’
The running back, who missed just one regular-season game last year, missed most of training camp last summer due to a calf problem.
He later had a last-minute lead in the team’s season opener against the Jets and has not played since.
The 49ers (4-4) have been ravaged by injuries this season, as Brandon Aiyuk suffered a season-ending ACL and MCL tear, while Deebo Samuel has also missed essentially two games (he was active in Week 7 when he was battling an illness but only played four snaps).
McCaffrey’s replacement at running back, Jordan Mason, is also dealing with a shoulder injury and was limited Thursday.