McCaffrey ready to play, calls time away ‘tough’

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Following a long, often painful wait, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said he is ready to make his 2024 season debut Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“The last eight weeks were extremely unfortunate,” McCaffrey said. “For me, it’s very tough being injured. It’s tough physically, mentally, emotionally, especially when it’s just not how you planned it. It wasn’t expected. Some stuff just went wrong, but I’m feeling great now. Ready to go.”

McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. On Friday, he completed his first full week of practice since before the season opener and is set to be activated from injured reserve in time to play against the Bucs.

Officially, McCaffrey is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report, but coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear Friday it would take a significant turn of events for the star running back not to be activated Saturday and play Sunday.

The 49ers waived running back Patrick Taylor Jr. on Friday night, opening a roster spot for McCaffrey.

“We’ll take him off IR tomorrow, and then he’ll be good to go,” Shanahan said. “Unless something crazy happens on this plane ride, he should be good to go tomorrow once he gets off IR.”

McCaffrey’s recovery from a calf injury and the ensuing Achilles issue has seen plenty of stops and starts but finally gained momentum toward a return in recent weeks. The Niners placed McCaffrey on injured reserve Sept. 14 after he was listed as questionable and then was a surprise scratch before the Sept. 9 season opener against the New York Jets.

That followed a training camp in which McCaffrey participated very little as Shanahan announced he was dealing with a calf strain in early August. Shanahan later revealed that McCaffrey was also dealing with Achilles soreness.

When the Niners put McCaffrey on injured reserve, Shanahan said it was done in part to protect McCaffrey from himself, giving him a chance to rest and recover as much as possible. Then, when the Niners were in Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sept. 22, McCaffrey traveled to Germany to meet with a specialist and get treatment on his Achilles.

McCaffrey declined to elaborate on that trip Friday but did acknowledge he was willing to explore every avenue necessary in order to get back on the field.

“I keep all that stuff private,” McCaffrey said. “When you’re on IR and you’re hurt, you’ll do anything to come back. So, I’m feeling good now. That’s all that matters.”

That trip to Germany did seem to at least give McCaffrey a sort of timetable for a return. While he has been eligible to come off injured reserve for about a month, the Niners and McCaffrey have been eyeing Sunday’s game in Tampa, Florida, coming out of the bye for a while.

During the bye week, McCaffrey participated in some simulated practice activities, which went well enough for him to open his practice window Monday. He then participated in every practice this week with no apparent setbacks. Once he made it through the team’s traditionally longer and more strenuous Thursday session, Shanahan told KNBR radio that he expected McCaffrey to be ready to go.

While McCaffrey was away, the 49ers went 4-4, but his return to practice offered a jolt of energy coming off the bye.

“It’s great. 2-3 like [Michael] Jordan, he’s the man,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “Reigning Offensive Player of the Year, one of the best players and people I’ve been around, so it’s good to just see him back out there.”

McCaffrey did offer a few details about his recovery Friday, noting that he didn’t attend as many meetings as he normally would because he was constantly doing things to help his body. McCaffrey said he spent most of his time getting treatment, doing prehab and rehab, training and ensuring he got plenty of sleep and rest when he could.

When he finally returned to practice Monday, McCaffrey said his overwhelming feeling was gratitude.

“It can be dark sometimes, and especially with something like that that you feel like it’s having to watch games, you’re physically in pain,” McCaffrey said. “A lot goes into this. I think about football every day of my life. It consumes about 98% of my life, and so when it doesn’t go right, it can be very tough. But all I know is it makes you realize how blessed and fortunate you are to play when you are on that field.”

While McCaffrey looks poised to return, the Niners have some other key players who are out or also listed as questionable.

Cornerback Charvarius Ward will not play against the Bucs as he remains away from the team following the death of his young daughter. Defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin) and receiver Chris Conley (hamstring) have also been ruled out.

Defensive end Nick Bosa (hip) and wideout Deebo Samuel (rib, oblique) are among the important Niners listed as questionable. Bosa suffered a hip pointer in Wednesday’s practice and did not do much in practice Thursday and Friday.

“He wasn’t able to do a lot,” Shanahan said. “He definitely was extremely limited. Hoping he’ll be all right, but we’ll see on Sunday.”