The San Francisco 49ers have placed Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve with a calf injury and Achilles tendinitis, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported. The team later officially confirmed the news.
This means McCaffrey will be out of action for at least four games. The 49ers will face the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals in these games. If McCaffrey serves the minimum IR time, he could return for the game against the Seahawks on October 10.
The 28-year-old has already missed most of the training camp and the preseason in recent months due to a calf injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan initially played down the severity of the injury, but now McCaffrey will be out for a longer period. In his absence, Jordan Mason recently took over the role of number one running back and impressed in Week 1 with 152 yards and a touchdown. Nevertheless, McCaffrey’s versatility, especially as a pass catcher, is hard to replace.
Deebo Samuel is expected to play more in the backfield to fill the hole in the offense, while backup players Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor are also expected to be more involved.
McCaffrey, last year’s Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in touches (339), rushing yards (1,459), scrimmage yards (2,032) and touchdowns (21) last season. Since joining the 49ers in October 2022, he has been a key part of the team that failed to make the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl the last two years.
Sources: The #49ers are placing RB Christian McCaffrey on Injured Reserve today, with hopes that his Achilles tendinitis fully heals by the time it’s time to return in four games. It’s Jordan Mason going forward. pic.twitter.com/T7A1mhOUEQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 14, 2024
About the author
Dirk Kaiser
Dirk Kaiser has been active in the field of American football for over 20 years at various levels. In addition to the NFL, he also covers the ELF and GFL for TOUCHDOWN24.
