The San Francisco 49ers return to the field Monday for a “bonus practice.” Last week, general manager John Lynch said the Niners plan to open running back Christian McCaffrey’s practice window.

However, this injury dates back to the final game of 2023.

When did Christian McCaffrey get injured?

In Week 17 against the Washington Commanders, McCaffrey exited the game early due to a calf injury. After the game, Kyle Shanahan said, “We think he’ll be all right. I don’t know if he would have been able to go next week or not.”

McCaffrey didn’t think the injury was a big deal: “I think it was minor and just made the smart move, especially not knowing what was going to happen next week. I didn’t just want to go in there and make it any worse. With certain things, you can’t be dumb about it.”

McCaffrey didn’t play in a meaningless season-finale game against the Los Angeles Rams. Based on his playoff usage, you would have no idea that CMC was dealing with a calf injury. Against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional round and NFC Championship game, McCaffrey had 24 touches. In the Super Bowl, McCaffrey had 30 touches.

It goes without saying that all bets are off in must-win games, and you’re going to give the ball to your best player, but McCaffrey showed no signs of a lingering calf injury — at least to the naked eye.

Kyle’s update, 11:09 a.m. PT: The 49ers have officially opened the practice window for McCaffrey and IOL Jon Feliciano.

Christian McCaffrey didn’t play in the preseason

McCaffrey has been sidelined for nearly three months after being ruled out for the preseason with what was thought to be a calf strain.

There are three different grade levels of calf strain. The 49ers initially thought McCaffrey suffered a mild strain, which would have kept him out for around three weeks. That explains why, as the injury was announced on August 6, McCaffrey was only believed to miss the month of August.

At the time, Shanahan said McCaffrey would miss a couple of weeks of practice. But a setback would turn those weeks into months.

Why did Christian McCaffrey miss the first part of the 2024 regular season?

A Grade 2 strain is when there’s a partial tear and usually heals anywhere from 4-8 weeks when properly rehabbed. McCaffrey’s calf strain evolved to “painful Achilles tendinitis” after suffering calf tightness.

It was reported that McCaffrey would miss at least six weeks due to the “frustrating and difficult” injury. You can’t help but wonder if this setback would have been avoided if the Niners had shut down McCaffrey initially instead of allowing him to try to work through his injury.

Who knows how this timeline would’ve been altered, but McCaffrey suffered a setback on Thursday before Week 2. Shanahan said McCaffrey had his worst day of practice. A day later, he landed on the Injured Reserve.

Christian McCaffrey’s return comes at the perfect time

Give Jordan Mason all of the credit in the world. He entered the 2024 season with 84 career carries. Through the first half of the season, Mason has 134 carries. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and is fourth in the NFL in rushing.

That workload took a toll on Mason. He left Weeks 6 and 8 early with an AC sprain in his left shoulder. Mason tried to play through both injuries, but the pain was too much to overcome.

Rookie Isaac Guerendo took full advantage of his opportunities. In Mason’s absence, Guerendo had ten carries for 99 yards against the Seattle Seahawks and 14 for 85 yards against the Dallas Cowboys. But those are two bottom-ten defenses against the run. Expecting a first-year player to average nearly ten and 6.1 yards per carry is a tall task.

It’s also far-fetched to believe McCaffrey will have 25+ touches in his first week of action. John Lynch tempered expectations, saying there’s no guarantee McCaffrey will suit up in Week 10.

The combination of McCaffrey, Mason off a bye, and Guerendo with another week of game experience under his belt gives the 49ers a three-headed beast at running back that few teams in this league have.

McCaffrey can work his way up to the playoff volume he had last year, while the Niners can dial Mason’s usage back and still sprinkle in Guerendo. McCaffrey’s return comes at the perfect time for a team that needs him healthy for a second-half run.