UPDATE: 49ers place Christian McCaffrey on IR; OUT next four games

Sep 13, 2024, 3:13 PM | Updated: Sep 14, 2024, 10:30 am

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 17: Christian McCaffrey #23 runs for a touchdown after hauling in a 41-yard pass from Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter of a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

Update: Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers will be placing Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve Saturday.

The news comes Saturday morning, after the team had already ruled him out for Week 2’s road game against the Minnesota Vikings. After trying to manage his achilles tendinitis the last few weeks, Thursday’s practice was he toughest yet for McCaffrey, dealing with too much pain after the fact.

Now two days later, the 49ers are shutting down their star running back for at least the next month.

The Stanford alum will miss Weeks two through five, with his earliest return coming October 10th against the Seattle Seahawks. However, that is not set in stone, as the 49ers are taking a long-view approach to CMC’s health.

49ers next four games without Christian McCaffey:

🏈Sunday: at Minnesota
🏈Sept. 22: at L.A. Rams
🏈Sept. 29: vs. New England
🏈Oct. 6: vs. Arizona https://t.co/kQZJoPReaJ

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2024

Original Story:

Unfortunately, the inevitable is now the reality for the 49ers: Christian McCaffrey is out for Week 2.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the star running back will miss Week 2’s clash with the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. This is McCaffrey’s second consecutive game he will miss this season, still dealing with lingering achilles tendinitis.

After returning to practice last week, the ballcarrier was a late scratch from Monday Night Football after his pre-game warmup did not go to plan. Despite returning to practice this week, he struggled, with a stint on the injury reserve now under consideration.

“It’s something we’re considering now, yeah,” Shanahan said about Christian McCaffrey Friday. “Yesterday was his worst day. It’s on and off, but with yesterday, having the most pain, it’s something we’re going to be discussing here in the next 24 hours.”

More: Kyle Shanahan told reporters that his team now is considering putting Christian McCaffrey on IR. https://t.co/tqusdDRwvr

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2024

The Stanford alum has been dealing with a calf strain since the beginning of training camp, missing the entire preseason. Unfortunately, the month away wasn’t enough, with the soft-tissue injury affecting his achilles as well.

The 49ers don’t have a surgical procedure lined up for CMC at this time. Instead, rest is required for the inflammation in his lower body to subside, making a short-term stay on the IR very possible.

“If that’s the right thing, it’s what we’ll do,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said on KNBR Friday. “First of all we’ll see how he’s doing today after a good session yesterday. All options, as Kyle has said are on the table. We’ll do what’s right for Christian and what’s right for our team.”