San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has yet to take the field this season after being placed on injured reserve on September 14 to recover from Achilles tendinitis, an issue that has plagued him since early in training camp—and possibly all offseason.
The 49ers plan to intensify McCaffrey's rehabilitation this week to assess his progress during his time off. The running back recently traveled to Germany for treatment on his Achilles, hoping it would expedite his return timeline.
While McCaffrey will be eligible to return to practice after Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, some have questioned whether the star running back will play at all this season. However, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year remains confident in his recovery and optimistic about returning to the field.
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"He said he's improving," offensive tackle Trent Williams shared during a Tuesday interview with Rich Eisen. "Last I talked to him, just a day or two ago, he said that the treatment was going great, rehab was going great. I think he's extremely confident that he'll be back in the lineup pretty soon. I don't know how soon, but definitely expecting him this year."
The 49ers, currently sitting at 2-2, hope to climb above .500 with a win over the Cardinals. While injuries have been a challenge, the team is focused on stringing together a strong October performance to get back on track.
"This season is definitely a marathon, not a sprint," Williams explained. "If there's anything that we've learned with these previous three seasons, it's that this is a very long season and a lot can happen. Obviously, we don't have control over the injury bug, but you'd rather get bit early than late.
"Obviously, not having Christian, it hurts as an offense, but we do have confidence that he'll be back. And when he is back, he'll be as fresh as ever. Hopefully, we'll be trying to go on a run to play the type of football we know we need to play to get to where we want to get to."