ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport both reported that McCaffrey’s calf tightness and Achilles tendinitis led to the decision, which is expected to become official later on Saturday. The 49ers first acknowledged the possibility on Friday morning, during general manager John Lynch’s weekly radio hit on KNBR.
It means the reigning offensive player of the year will miss at least the next four games and won’t be eligible to return to action until Week 6, when the 49ers are slated to play a Thursday night game in Seattle against the Seahawks on Oct. 10.
Sept. 13, 3 p.m. Running back Christian McCaffrey will miss his second game in a row Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Minnesota Vikings, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg regarding questions about the star’s future this season.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that McCaffrey will be absent Sunday after not practicing Friday. The coach added that the player had his “worst day” and “the most pain” at Thursday’s practice and that the team would look into possibly placing McCaffrey on injured reserve over “the next 24 hours.” This news comes a full week after McCaffrey told reporters that there’d be “no doubt” he would play against the Jets in Week 1.
The writing has been on the wall throughout the week regarding the star running back’s status. As early as an hour before Monday’s season opener, just as McCaffrey’s absence for that game was announced, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that McCaffrey would possibly miss this Week 2 matchup. Shanahan said it “must’ve been -od” who told Schefter that news, a dismissal that has since aged poorly.
One day after his quip, Shanahan informed reporters that McCaffrey had Achilles tendinitis, and then NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Wednesday it was “a long-shot” that the running back would play this upcoming Sunday.
Even news of an IR stint — which would officially rule out McCaffrey for four games — was in the cards as general manager John Lynch went on KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” show Friday morning and didn’t dismiss that possibility, although his assessment of how McCaffrey did Thursday was a bit different from Shanahan’s.
“If that’s the right thing, it’s what we’ll do,” Lynch said of putting the star player on IR. “We’ll first of all see how he’s doing today after getting a good work session in yesterday — see how he responds. … We’re going to do what’s right for Christian and right for our team.”
That being said, it’s hard to know if the decision that’s “right for Christian and right for our team” now will end up panning out the best in the future. Backup Jordan Mason’s big game against the Jets last Monday could be making things easier. The 25-year-old appears to have shown he’s at least capable of holding his own while filling in for the reigning offensive player of the year. However, the sample size of his performance as a starter is one game, and his 147-yard day came from getting the most carries of his professional and collegiate career. If that turns out to be a fluke, then the wait for
McCaffrey’s return will feel infinitely longer, and the decision to place him on IR could turn out to be quite costly.
But even if it comes with some losses, an IR stint is probably worth it. Not only would the team’s best offensive weapon get four weeks of rest, but the 49ers also wouldn’t have to worry about fantasy owners and gamblers complaining about their injury announcements for a month.
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