Christian McCaffrey’s injury status may wind up being a story line throughout the San Francisco 49ers’ 2024 season.
It dominated the headlines in Week 1 when McCaffrey was ruled out before the game with calf and Achilles ailments. His injury status remained in headlines after the game when there was confusion about when the 49ers knew McCaffrey would be out.
As the page turns on Week 1 to Week 2, McCaffrey’s status for the 49ers’ game in Minnesota is still up in the air, but head coach Kyle Shanahan provided an update in a conference call that came with a little positive news.
Shanahan told reporters McCaffrey is day-to-day with Achilles tendinitis. He also said McCaffrey would have played if Monday night’s game was a playoff game.
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While the ideal scenario would be McCaffrey at 100 percent, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards while he works through the chronic Achilles issue.
All signs point to the issue being something the 49ers are managing early in the year. That’s better than needing to sideline him for a prolonged period while he rehabs the injury.
Given the potential severity of a major Achilles injury it makes sense that San Francisco wouldn’t rush him into action for Week 1. It also makes sense if they sit him for Week 2 with a quick turnaround from Monday night to Sunday morning, and with the Vikings’ field turf playing surface. The 49ers are focused more on February than September. Everything they do with McCaffrey moving forward will be about ensuring he’s as healthy as possible for a postseason run.
