San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey did not practice on Tuesday, the team's first on-field session ahead of Saturday night's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. McCaffrey experienced back stiffness during Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears, and the issue has lingered into the week.
The 49ers—and McCaffrey—do not sound overly concerned.
General manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Wednesday morning, sharing key injury updates as San Francisco prepares for its regular-season finale. While the long season has taken its toll on McCaffrey, Lynch expects the star running back to be available.
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"Christian, I saw him walking out of here the other night, and he looked like a guy who's had a lot of touches," Lynch said. "But Christian, he takes care of himself so well. I think Christian should be good. I think Christian will be ready. He knows how to get himself ready.
"What I love about Christian here, the last couple of weeks, I've seen a little extra juice. I think the great ones know how to peak when they need to be peaking most, and I think we're seeing that with Christian right now. I'm seeing a little extra burst, the way he got out of there on that 41-yard run to our sideline. There was a little extra pop in that deal.
"And so, I'm feeling really good about where Christian's at."
Trent Williams injury update
Left tackle Trent Williams exited Sunday's game after suffering a hamstring injury on the 49ers' first offensive play—chasing down Chicago linebacker T.J. Edwards following a pick-six off Brock Purdy.
"Interesting in that Trent, 37 years old, after the game, I asked him how he was," Lynch said. "He'd never had a hamstring injury in his entire life. And so, he really didn't know what it felt like. I always say this: they're great athletes, and Trent Williams kind of goes to the top of that list—as good as I've been around—they tend to heal a little faster. And the motivation is certainly there.
"We will have to be smart, and it is a tall task to turn around on the hamstring injury that he had, but he's making every effort. We'll see if he gets there."
George Kittle trending toward return
Tight end George Kittle missed the Bears game after suffering a low-ankle sprain against the Indianapolis Colts. He returned to practice on Tuesday—an encouraging step toward playing against Seattle.
Lynch noted that Kittle pushed hard to suit up this past weekend, but the short turnaround following the Monday night game in Indianapolis made it very challenging.
"Saturday, George felt pretty good," Lynch revealed. "He pushed it a little on Saturday to try to see if we could get there. He woke up Sunday, and he was sore. At that point, we just said, 'No, we're not going to do this,' as much as we need and rely [on him]."
While Tuesday's practice was a light session, Kittle's participation points to progress.
"We obviously got to get through the week, but I'd be very surprised if George wasn't out there," Lynch added.
Kyle Juszczyk injury update
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk also missed Tuesday's practice after sustaining a hip injury against Chicago. However, the 49ers are optimistic about his availability for this weekend.
"Juice is just kind of—he's a stalwart," Lynch said. "He's out there every week, and so we kind of anticipate that being the case, but we'll see as the week progresses."
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