The\u00a0San Francisco 49ers\u00a0return to the field Monday for a \u201cbonus practice.\u201d Last week, general manager John Lynch said the Niners plan to open running back Christian McCaffrey\u2019s\u00a0practice window.<\/p>\n
However, this injury dates back to the final game of 2023.<\/p>\n
When did Christian McCaffrey get injured?<\/h2>\n
In Week 17 against the\u00a0Washington Commanders, McCaffrey\u00a0exited the game early\u00a0due to a calf injury. After the game, Kyle Shanahan said, \u201cWe think he\u2019ll be all right. I don\u2019t know if he would have been able to go next week or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCaffrey didn\u2019t think the injury was a big deal: \u201cI think it was minor and just made the smart move, especially not knowing what was going to happen next week. I didn\u2019t just want to go in there and make it any worse. With certain things, you can\u2019t be dumb about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCaffrey didn\u2019t play in a meaningless season-finale game against the\u00a0Los Angeles Rams. Based on his playoff usage, you would have no idea that CMC was dealing with a calf injury. Against the\u00a0Green Bay Packers\u00a0in the NFC Divisional round and\u00a0NFC Championship\u00a0game, McCaffrey had 24 touches. In the\u00a0Super Bowl, McCaffrey had 30 touches.<\/p>\n
It goes without saying that all bets are off in must-win games, and you\u2019re going to give the ball to your best player, but McCaffrey showed no signs of a lingering calf injury \u2014 at least to the naked eye.<\/p>\n
Kyle\u2019s update, 11:09 a.m. PT:\u00a0<\/strong>The 49ers have officially opened the practice window for McCaffrey and IOL Jon Feliciano.<\/p>\n McCaffrey has been sidelined for nearly three months after being\u00a0ruled out for the preseason\u00a0with what was thought to be a calf strain.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n At the time, Shanahan said McCaffrey would miss a couple of weeks of practice. But a setback would turn those weeks into months.<\/p>\n A Grade 2 strain is when there\u2019s a partial tear and usually heals anywhere from 4-8 weeks when properly rehabbed. McCaffrey\u2019s calf strain evolved to \u201cpainful Achilles tendinitis\u201d after suffering calf tightness.<\/p>\n It was reported that McCaffrey would miss at least six weeks due to the \u201cfrustrating and difficult\u201d injury. You can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Who knows how this timeline would\u2019ve been altered, but McCaffrey suffered a setback on Thursday before Week 2. Shanahan said McCaffrey had his\u00a0worst day of practice. A day later, he landed on the Injured Reserve.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n That workload took a toll on Mason. He left Weeks 6 and 8 early with an\u00a0AC sprain in his left shoulder. Mason tried to play through both injuries, but the pain was too much to overcome.<\/p>\n Rookie Isaac Guerendo took\u00a0full advantage of his opportunities. In Mason\u2019s absence, Guerendo had ten carries for 99 yards against the\u00a0Seattle Seahawks\u00a0and 14 for 85 yards against the\u00a0Dallas 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also far-fetched to believe McCaffrey will have 25+ touches in his first week of action. John Lynch\u00a0tempered expectations, saying there\u2019s no guarantee McCaffrey will suit up in Week 10.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n McCaffrey can work his way up to the playoff volume he had last year, while the Niners can dial Mason\u2019s usage back and still sprinkle in Guerendo. McCaffrey\u2019s return comes at the perfect time for a team that needs him healthy for a second-half run.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nChristian McCaffrey didn\u2019t play in the preseason<\/h2>\n
Why did Christian McCaffrey miss the first part of the 2024 regular season?<\/h2>\n
Christian McCaffrey\u2019s return comes at the perfect time<\/h3>\n