49ers Christian McCaffrey returns to practice as limited participant Wednesday

Sep 11, 2024, 2:15 PM

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 11: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

BY AMILIANO FRAGOSO

San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

Well it’s official: Christian McCaffrey will practice Wednesday, albeit as a limited participant.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the star running back will return to the practice field to open the Week 2 preparation schedule. CMC was a late scratch prior to Monday Night Football due to achilles tendonitis. The inactive was a surprise for many involved, especially after the player made his intentions clear to play Week 1.

Instead, the 49ers are taking a long-term approach to his health. But while he is day-to-day at this time, Shanahan has squashed any consideration of short-term injury reserve for Christian McCaffrey.

“No, I’ve never considered that,” Shanahan stated. “I was considering him to play last week, so definitely not thinking about four weeks off.”

Christian McCaffrey will be back at practice again today, still as a limited participant. Shanahan said he’s not considered IR for CMC and that he was close to playing last week
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 11, 2024

“My mentality is I’m playing this week. That’s where I’m at. That’s how I am every week,” McCaffrey told the media Wednesday. “I’m not lying. I think as soon as a player says, maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t. That’s not a good mentality to go into a week with when you’re kind of on the fence. So for me, I’m ready to go.”

Christian McCaffrey, 28, has been dealing with a calf injury since the beginning of training camp, missing all of the preseason. The more concerning injury is that to the achilles, with rest being the only solution for the soft-tissue issue. In the meantime, the 49ers will take a wait-and-see approach with their star ballcarrier, allowing backup RB Jordan Mason to get a majority of the workload.

CMC has a history of lower-body injuries during his days with the Carolina Panthers. Since joining the 49ers, the Stanford alum has only missed two games in almost two years in Red & Gold.