San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey took a big step in his recovery from Achilles tendonitis when he returned to practice on Monday. He has yet to play a single regular season snap in 2024, but it is looking more and more like his return to game action is close.
That return will not come a moment too soon. The Niners are a disappointing 4-4 coming off of their bye week, and the biggest reason they have won just half of their games is the massive rash of injuries they have had to deal with.
General manager John Lynch talked about McCaffrey’s rehab and what the final steps will be for him before he’s cleared to play.
John Lynch on Christian McCaffrey’s availability for Sunday against the Buccaneers:
“I sure hope so. Christian’s passed every part of the test in our plan. Over the bye week, he stayed here with our trainers. How do you come to work on the bye week? You come when you’ve got… pic.twitter.com/nYaUPEz1AE
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) November 4, 2024
Without McCaffrey, last year’s Offensive Player of the Year, San Francisco has been good enough offensively to win most of its games. But it hasn’t been the dynamic and nearly unstoppable offensive team it was last year.
He does so much for the team — he is not only a physical and efficient rusher, but he’s also excellent in the screen pass game, as well as a dual-threat tailback who can run routes and occasionally line up as a makeshift wide receiver. His mere presence draws plenty of defensive attention, which tends to open up things for the 49ers’ other skill players.
