Christian McCaffrey departs practice early Thursday
Jan 5, 2023, 2:00 PM | Updated: 2:24 pm
Jeff Bottari/Getty Images
Missing the first day of Week 18’s prep Wednesday, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey re-joined his team on the field Thursday for a brief period.
McCaffrey was held out of Wednesday’s practice due to ankle and knee injuries he’s been dealing with over the last month. CMC suffered a mild ankle sprain against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17, showing no signs of the ailment during the contest, however.
“He’s had that on there every day for the last month, that’s why he is usually limited on these days,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said regarding his lower leg injuries Wednesday.
The former Pro Bowl RB was seen taking part in individual drills to start the session, before leaving for the locker room midway through the media portion as practice began. With the team heading into the regular season finale as the No.2 seed, many could speculate whether the 49ers’ star will see much action in Week 18.
#49ers practice:
*RB Christian McCaffrey did individual runs, headed to locker room so DNP 2nd straight practice (looks OK, may be saving for playoffs)
*WR Deebo Samuel, RB Elijah Mitchell practicing
*DT Kevin Givens back from knee sprain
*Didn’t see Javon Kinlaw
*Banks rehabbing pic.twitter.com/HlrsOsGDom— Cam Inman (@CamInman) January 5, 2023
Christian McCaffrey was a man possessed on New Year’s day against the Raiders, amassing 193 scrimmage yards, the most since 2019 for him. He finished the day with 121 yards rushing and one touchdown on the ground, adding six catches for 72 yards in the air.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and fellow RB Elijah Mitchell were on hand at practice Thursday for San Francisco.
Samuel, 26, has been nursing ankle and knee injuries suffered in Week 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Initially feared to be a much more serious injury, tests revealed only minor sprains for the wideout. Hoping to be back in time for Week 18, Samuel logged a full practice Wednesday, with Thursday trading in the same direction.
Mitchell is another player expected back for the Red & Gold very soon. Suffering his second MCL sprain of the season in Week 12. The second-year tailback had his practice window opened to return from injured reserve Wednesday, also looking to return for the regular-season finale Sunday.
Additionally, guard Aaron Banks (knee, ankle) was seen doing work off to the side of practice Thursday. Likely not playing in Week 18, a return for the playoffs is in the cards for the offensive lineman.
Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was not on the field Thursday after taking his usual maintenance day Wednesday to rehab his surgically-repaired knee. He missed Thursday because of an illness., the team announced.
