CMC returns to 49ers practice after extended IR stint

SANTA CLARA – Running back Christian McCaffrey is back on the practice field.

And if all goes well the rest of the week, McCaffrey could agree to make his 49ers debut on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 49ers on Monday opened the practice window for McCaffrey and designated him back to the injured reserve list as he returns from Achilles tendinitis in both legs. San Francisco also opened the practice window for veteran offensive lineman Jon Feliciano, who the team placed on injured reserve in Aug. 28 with a knee injury.

You are baaaaack 😈 pic.twitter.com/29rETUJmzo

— 49ers at NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 4, 2024

CMC dropped the line for its first training session back 🤝 pic.twitter.com/OxT2GLpKiM

— 49ers at NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 4, 2024

That’s the man pic.twitter.com/lnA7SpWfSY

— 49ers at NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 4, 2024

Both wide receiver Jauan Jennings and tight end Jake Moody were also on hand for Monday’s practice.

McCaffrey had no interruptions in his physical therapy last month and has not practiced since Thursday, Sept. 12, when he aggravated Achilles tendinitis and was placed on injured reserve two days later.

He was listed as questionable for San Francisco’s season opener on Sept. 9 against the New York Jets but was declared one of the team’s inactives 90 minutes before kickoff.

McCaffrey traveled to Germany in late September for treatment on two torn Achilles tendons. The 49ers placed him on the reserve program to improve his condition.

Coach Kyle Shanahan described the 49ers’ first week as an important step in getting him back on the field.

“He doesn’t have any setbacks, so it looks like we’re on our way,” Shanahan said last Monday. “He’s going to be strong this week as we go along and he wants to get some training in for him. As long as things are going well, we’re hoping to get him back in training next week.”

The 49ers enter the second half of the season with a 4-4 record.

McCaffrey is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

He rushed for 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns while catching 67 passes for 564 yards and seven touchdowns.

McCaffrey suffered a similar calf/Achilles injury in Week 17 of last season against Washington.

While the 49ers’ No. 1 in the NFC, he sat out the final game of the regular season and played in each of San Francisco’s three postseason games.

The 49ers rewarded McCaffrey in June with a two-year contract extension that is set to pay him $62.2 million over four years through the 2027 NFL season.

San Francisco got a good performance in the eight-game stretch without McCaffrey.

Jordan Mason is on pace to become the 49ers’ seventh different quarterback in the last eight seasons. He has 685 yards and three touchdowns on 134 rushing attempts. He’s about 5.1 feet tall when he tries.

Rookie Isaac Guerendo has come on strong in recent weeks, rushing for 227 yards on a 6.1-yard average. Guerendo has a one-speed catch and two passes with back-to-back slides deep into the opponent’s zone.

The areas where McCaffrey’s absence was most felt were in the passing game and in the red zone. The team’s rushers combined for just 15 catches for a total of 120 yards.

McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 18 touchdowns inside the red zone.

The 49ers led the league in touchdowns on 68 percent of their drives inside the red zone. This season without McCaffrey, the 49ers are 27th in catching just 48.6 percent of their red zone possessions.

Download and listen to the 49ers Talk Podcast