The San Francisco 49ers have had horrible luck with injuries, especially at running back. They lost Elijah Mitchell before the season began, then Christian McCaffrey missed the first two months, and now Jordan Mason is sidelined for an extended period of time. What is Mason’s injury, and when might he return to action?
What Is Jordan Mason’s Injury?
It wasn’t immediately clear when Mason got hurt in the team’s Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, but after the game, Kyle Shanahan revealed that Mason sustained a high ankle sprain at some point in the Sunday night defeat, which was overshadowed by McCaffrey’s own knee injury.
When the 49ers placed McCaffrey on injured reserve (IR) due to his PCL sprain, the presumption was Mason would serve as the lead back. Instead, Mason was right alongside McCaffrey on the trip to the IR.
When Will Mason Return From Injury?
The timeline for return to play for high ankle sprains varies. Generally, it’s in the 4-6 week range, though players can push to play sooner if there are high-stakes games upcoming. Of course, that’s all irrelevant to Mason since he is on IR and is guaranteed at least a four-game absence. The earliest he can return is for the Week 18 season finale.
With the 49ers’ playoff chances rapidly diminishing, it’s likely we won’t see Mason again this season. However, he should be fully recovered by early 2025 and is unlikely to experience any lingering effects ahead of next season’s training camp.
How Will Mason’s Absence Impact the 49ers?
When McCaffrey missed the first two months of the season, Mason served as the RB1. He was all set to reprise that role with McCaffrey once again on the shelf, but with him out as well, San Francisco is now down to its RB4.
It will be Isaac Guerendo as the starter the rest of the way, provided, of course, that he can stay on the field. The rookie fourth-rounder’s extended audition came back in Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys when Mason was limited by a shoulder injury. He played more than 50% of the snaps and scored 19.2 fantasy points.
This version of the 49ers’ offense is nowhere near as potent as previous years. They lost Brandon Aiyuk weeks ago, and McCaffrey has joined him on the shelf. And at nearly 29 years old with a lengthy injury history of his own, it appears that Deebo Samuel Sr.’s time as an impactful football player has also come to an end.
Aside from George Kittle and Jauan Jennings, there’s not much here offensively for San Francisco. This presents a big opportunity for Guerendo to prove he deserves a bigger role for 2025, which could come in handy if the Niners ever decide to finally limit McCaffrey’s obscene workload.