It’s been an arduous year for Christian McCaffrey. A lingering Achilles injury cost him the first nine weeks of the season. Now, after just four games, he’s back on the shelf. What injury is McCaffrey dealing with, and what is his timetable for a return to the field?
What Is Christian McCaffrey’s Injury?
Early in training camp, McCaffrey strained his calf, sidelining him for the entire preseason. Ahead of Week 1, McCaffrey practiced in full but was ultimately held out due to Achilles tendinitis. As it turned out, that injury was far more serious than initially thought, and McCaffrey wound up being sidelined until Week 10.
Upon his return, McCaffrey looked mostly like his former self, even if the gaudy numbers weren’t there. Unfortunately, he never got a chance to really get going, as he lasted a mere four games.
On a shoe-string tackle against the Buffalo Bills, McCaffrey hurt his knee. Pro Football Doc, Dr. David Chao, immediately identified it as a possible PCL sprain. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed those suspicions.
When Will McCaffrey Return From Injury?
Given all of the injuries McCaffrey has dealt with, a PCL sprain is relatively minor. Typically this is not a season-ending injury. However, a PCL sprain that occurs in Week 13 for a team falling out of playoff contention can be a different case.
McCaffrey’s expected timeline to return is roughly six weeks. There are only four weeks left in the regular season, and the 49ers are unlikely to reach the playoffs. He has been placed on injured reserve (IR), which means the earliest he can return is Week 18. That wouldn’t be likely even if the 49ers were in contention, and San Francisco may even need to spring a Wild Card upset if it does make a miraculous playoff run.
This injury shouldn’t have any lingering effects on McCaffrey for next year. The bigger concern is this is a player with a lengthy injury history who will turn 29 in June. However, this particular issue will be well behind him by the time 2025’s training camp rolls around.
How Will McCaffrey’s Absence Impact the 49ers?
When McCaffrey exited in Week 13, the 49ers turned back to Jordan Mason, who served as their RB1 over the first two months of the season while CMC was recovering from his Achilles tendinitis. Mason would have been the clear beneficiary and the main guy going forward, but he suffered a high ankle sprain that also landed him on IR as well.
Down to their RB4 (with Elijah Mitchell ruled out for the season before the year even started), the lead back for the remainder of the season, if he can stay healthy, will be rookie fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo. Before the dual injuries to McCaffrey and Mason, Guerendo had a total of 42 carries in 2024.
This version of the 49ers’ offense is nowhere near as potent as in previous years. McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk are done for the year. At nearly 29 years old, Father Time appears to have hit Deebo Samuel Sr. rather hard. Their most impactful offensive players have been George Kittle and Jauan Jennings.
Playing out a lost season in a year where a team has Super Bowl aspirations can be challenging for players, but this is a big opportunity for Guerendo to possibly earn the RB2 role for next year, which could be valuable if the 49ers decide to finally dial back McCaffrey’s outlier-level workload.