Although he’s still officially listed as “questionable” for Sunday, it appears San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will finally make his season debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The team posted its Week 10 injury report for the upcoming game on Friday afternoon, listing both McCaffrey and defensive lineman Nick Bosa as questionable. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that the running back was scheduled to take the field.
“We’ll get him off IR tomorrow,” Shanahan said. “So unless something crazy happens on this plane ride, he should be ready as soon as he gets off IR.”
The The practice window opened for McCaffrey on Monday and he enjoyed his first full week of training with the team since joining sidelined before the season started by Achilles tendonitis and calf problems. He was a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday and finished the 49ers’ final practice on Friday as a full participant.
Spending the first half of the season as a spectator has taken its toll on McCaffrey. He described being in a “dark” place during his eight weeks on the sidelines, dealing with both physical pain and the frustration of not being able to play.
“Sometimes you just take it for granted that you play this game for a living and it’s what you do, it’s what you train for,” McCaffrey said Friday. “But when it’s taken away from you, even for a short time, you really appreciate every day on the grass.”
McCaffrey returned to training on Monday and has endured four days on the field without any setbacks, clearing the way for him to play. He is listed as questionable because he is still on injured reserve but will be activated Saturday.
“We’ll get him off IR tomorrow and he’ll be good to go,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Bosa was listed as doubtful after injuring his hip during training on Wednesday. Shanahan said he’s concerned Bosa might not be able to play on Sunday.
“He couldn’t do much (during practice). He was extremely limited,” Shanahan said. “I hope he’s doing well, but we’ll see on Sunday.”
San Francisco also will be without starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, who was away from the team all week following the death last week of his 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy. A memorial service was held in Dallas on Friday and general manager John Lynch led a contingent of team officials there to support Ward.
McCaffrey has been struggling with Achilles tendonitis since the beginning of August. He missed almost all of training camp before returning to practice just before the season opener. That was him scratched the last minute before that game against the New York Jets on September 9 and then suffered a setback during practice on September 12.
That was him placed on injured reserve two days later and spent the past seven weeks resting and rehabbing, including a trip to Germany for treatment that McCaffrey didn’t want to talk about Friday.
“I keep all that stuff private,” he said. “When you’re on IR and you’re hurt, you do whatever you can to get back. I feel good now. That’s all that matters.’
The 49ers (4-4) are counting on McCaffrey’s return to provide a boost in the second half. San Francisco has sputtered in the first half of the season, with its offense scoring 3.9 fewer points per game than last season.
Jordan Mason has done a good job filling in for McCaffrey with 685 yards rushing in eight games, but the Niners have sorely missed the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year in the red zone and in the passing game. San Francisco’s 26 catches by running backs rank fourth in the league after ranking in the top five when McCaffrey was available the past two seasons.
McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage last season and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns as he helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl.
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.
But he is not worried about the injury in the future.
“I feel good now,” he said. ‘I wouldn’t be here if it still bothered me. I feel great.’
NOTES: DT Kevin Givens (groin) and WR Chris Conley (hamstring) will miss the game. WR Deebo Samuel (rib, oblique), S Malik Mustapha (calf) and OL Jon Feliciano (knee) are all listed as questionable. DL Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) will not be IR activated to play this week.
