BREAKING: How the 49ers Should Manage Christian McCaffrey's Usage

There is a chance that Christian McCaffrey will make his debut when the 49ers face the Buccaneers in Week 10.

January 20, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs to score a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter in a 2024 NFC divisional round game at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Christian McCaffrey practiced for the San Francisco 49ers for the first time in almost two months.

His return to practice on Monday is the beginning of the 21-day window the 49ers have before they can activate him off the Injured Reserve list. The 49ers placed McCaffrey on the list on Sept. 14 due to Achilles tendinitis. Before that, he was a last-minute inactive in Week 1.

McCaffrey’s return signals that he is healthy or close to it. He will get a chance to be active in Week 10 when the 49ers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They probably don’t need McCaffrey to win that game, especially since the Buccaneers will be coming off a short week.

It won’t be clear whether McCaffrey will play in that game until the week progresses. Whenever McCaffrey does make his return, the 49ers need to manage his usage wisely, which is in limited fashion. McCaffrey should be on a snap count in his return and a while after at that. The 49ers must not utilize him the same way as they’ve done before.

That is part of, if not mainly, why McCaffrey is in this situation in the first place. He needs to have his legs kept healthy and fresh. This is where the opportunities given to Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo are paying off. These two players should rotate with McCaffrey. It wouldn’t be the first time the 49ers operated by a committee. They did so in 2019 and it worked very well.

Now, they will be doing it to keep one of their best players healthy and effective. The only time McCaffrey shouldn’t come off of the field is in the red zone and on third down. Otherwise, he should be splitting time with Mason and Guerendo. It isn’t just the games where McCaffrey should see limited time on the field.

He needs his practice to be slimmed down. Wednesdays can be his veteran days with the remaining practices as a limited participant. It’s all about reducing the likelihood of his Achilles flaring up on him again. The 49ers can win games and make the playoffs without McCaffrey, but they won’t get to the Super Bowl without him.

Manage his usage wisely and cautiously. If the 49ers don’t, then they will risk him being in the same boat as he was entering the season.