The San Francisco 49ers have officially opened running back Christian McCaffrey's 21-day practice window, a crucial step toward activating the star player off injured reserve. McCaffrey, who has not played this season due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis, has been on injured reserve since September 14.
The team also announced that it has opened the practice window for offensive lineman Jon Feliciano, who has been on injured reserve since August 28.
The 49ers today announced they have opened the Injured Reserve practice windows for OL Jon Feliciano and RB Christian McCaffrey.
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 4, 2024
The 49ers hope McCaffrey will make his season debut as early as this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a pivotal Week 10 matchup. Last season, McCaffrey racked up an impressive 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns, earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.
McCaffrey's return could provide the boost the 49ers' offense needs after an inconsistent start, contributing to their current 4-4 record. With wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk out for the season due to a torn ACL and MCL, McCaffrey's playmaking abilities would add another versatile weapon for quarterback Brock Purdy.
San Francisco will hold four practices this week, beginning with a bonus session today, followed by practices on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch remain cautiously optimistic about McCaffrey's recovery and have taken a measured approach to his return.
"You hope you have no setbacks," Lynch said last week. "I'd expect it to kind of go that way. I pray that it goes that way because he's done really well. He hasn't had any of those [setbacks]. And if so, then Monday, we hope to have him practicing with our team, and that'd be a really good deal for us. We all know he's the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. He's a special game-changing player for us."
With nine games remaining, the 49ers aim to build on their 4-4 record and position themselves for a strong playoff push. McCaffrey's return could be pivotal in that effort.
"Now, just opening his window doesn't mean he has to play (against the Buccaneers)," Lynch cautioned. "We have three weeks then, in which we can activate him, so we'll play this by ear. We'll listen to Christian, we'll listen to the experts, and hopefully, very soon, he's back playing with us on the field. And then, we've got to be judicious about how much we use him, and that's a hard thing to do because he's so darn good."