The San Francisco 49ers hope to have superstar Christian McCaffrey on the field in early November, it has been revealed.
McCaffrey has not played a single game so far this season after injuring his Achilles tendon during training camp, and he traveled to Germany this week for further medical advice.
NFL NetworkIan Rapoport of Ian Rapoport is now reporting that the 49ers are hopeful their star man will be back on the field “at least in early November,” and there is hope he can run on hard ground this week.
Rapoport said on Sunday morning: ‘McCaffrey has traveled to Germany to receive treatment for his Achilles injury – he is dealing with Achilles tendonitis and remains on injury reserve.
“I understand he is now back in the United States, it seems the treatment has gone well, there is a chance he could run on grass this week which would be a step forward.
Christian McCaffrey is back from Germany and the 49ers are targeting a return in November
“For those concerned about McCaffrey not playing at all this year, I understand the 49ers expect him back at least in early November. That’s a good sign for McCaffrey.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan had confirmed earlier this week that McCaffrey was making the trip to Europe in hopes of resolving an issue that had been bothering him since the start of training camp and had forced him onto injured reserve to start the season.
“I know he’s going to a specialist who I think can help him with his Achilles heel process,” Shanahan said Monday. “I think he’ll do that in the next few days, and hopefully it will help.”
McCaffrey was injured early in training camp and missed four weeks of practice before returning to the field on a limited basis for the season opener on September 9 against the Jets.
He was late for that game and subsequently went to injured reserve on September 14, two days after experiencing Achilles tendon soreness following a workout.
McCaffrey is married to model, influencer and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo (photo)
He is eligible to return for a Week 6 game at Seattle, but it seems highly unlikely he will be healthy in time for that.
McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage last season and tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.
After missing 23 games due to injuries in his last two full seasons at Carolina, McCaffrey has been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed just one game combined in the 2022-23 season – a meaningless game in Week 18 last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third-most for any player in a two-year span in the past decade.