49ers GM offers notable update on Christian McCaffrey
Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) warms up before playing against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers have yet to provide a timeline for when Christian McCaffrey might return to game action, but they continue to insist the star running back is making tremendous progress with his rehab.
During his Friday morning appearance on KNBR radio, 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team still has not made a decision on when McCaffrey’s 21-day practice window will be opened. Lynch did say, however, that McCaffrey is “doing incredibly well.”
“No new updates other than he’s doing incredibly well,” Lynch said, as transcribed by David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. “It’s all about the ramp up, increasing the activity, making sure that there’s no setbacks. I could just tell people he’s on a good track with that. No timelines or anything, but he’s doing a little bit more—not each day. We kind of stagger it, work hard one day, kind of go into more of a (regeneration) day the next day.
“But when you can start to stack those and not have setbacks, that’s a good thing, and that’s kind of the direction he’s trending in.”
A previous report said McCaffrey could return to action with the 49ers as soon as this weekend’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but that is no longer an option. At this point, it seems like the earliest McCaffrey would return is after San Francisco’s Week 9 bye.
Of course, the Niners also acted like they were not concerned about McCaffrey’s availability for Week 1 after he was sidelined during the offseason. We have since learned that the All-Pro running back’s injury might be even worse than initially believed.
Jordan Mason has done a great job filling in for McCaffrey this season and ranks second in the NFL with 609 rushing yards. He suffered a shoulder injury last week, however, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs is up in the air.
