The 49ers have been without their best offensive weapon to begin the 2024 season. San Francisco heads into Week 6 with a 2-3 record but is more concerned about the health of star running back Christian McCaffrey.
The dual-threat back hasn't played this season. He was listed as questionable for Week 1 before being ruled out ahead of the game, and then news started trickling in that he had a calf injury that was more serious than expected.
Over the last five weeks, the majority of the news has been worse and worse surrounding McCaffrey's outlook, causing some to wonder if he will miss the entire season.
It's been a whirlwind for the Niners and McCaffrey, and the full injury recovery isn't expected to happen soon. Let's take a look at McCaffrey's 2024 injury timeline, including all of the updates we have gotten so far.
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What is McCaffrey's injury?
McCaffrey was initially listed on the injury report in Week 1 with a calf and Achilles injury. The calf was a mild strain, but the Achilles injury has developed into the more concerning issue. CMC was diagnosed with Achilles tendonitis, and then it was reported that he is dealing with the injury in both legs.
"Achilles tendinitis is a common condition that occurs when the large tendon that runs down the back of the lower leg becomes irritated and inflamed," per the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Also, the terms tendinitis and tendonitis are interchangeable and mean the exact same thing, despite the difference in spelling.
The recovery from severe Achilles tendonitis can take several months. In rare cases, you may need surgery to fix it, but luckily it doesn't seem that the Niners running back is at that stage.
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McCaffrey injury timeline
Week 1
McCaffrey didn't play in the preseason, but that's not uncommon for veterans with only three games now.
For Week 1, McCaffrey was listed as questionable with calf and Achilles injuries. San Francisco didn't play until Monday night, and analysts were saying that he was expected to play.
When inactives came out an hour and a half ahead of kickoff, it was surprising to see that McCaffrey was downgraded to out. Initially, the report was that the calf strain was too much during pregame warmups.
Week 2
McCaffrey was listed as a limited practice participant all week and was once again tagged questionable heading into the weekend. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that injured reserve could be a possibility.
IR
The day after suggesting the running back could be headed to IR, he was added to it. This meant that McCaffrey would have to miss Weeks 2-5 for the 49ers and first be eligible to be activated in Week 6 against the Seahawks.
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Germany
The concern for CMC increased heading into Week 4 when he was reported to be going to Germany for a consultation with an injury expert.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey is consulting an expert in Germany about his Achilles tendonitis.@AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/l0dWfxuRqF
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 23, 2024
Injury worsens
McCaffrey was initially expected to be dealing with Achilles tendonitis in one leg. Then, it was reported in Week 4 that the running back was dealing with tendonitis in both legs. He was said to be feeling more pain in one than the other.
The Achilles tendonitis that Christian McCaffrey is suffering in his right leg is now in both legs, so there remains a major question on when he will return, according to @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/6Z4ZBwOW6a
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 30, 2024
Week 5
McCaffrey returned to the field in a very light rehab workout. San Francisco was said to still be taking his return very slowly but got good news when McCaffrey didn't experience any setbacks.
Offensive lineman Trent Williams made an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. He was asked about McCaffrey and said the following.
"He said he's improving the last I talked to him just a day or two ago. He said the treatment is going great, rehab is 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."
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Week 6
McCaffrey was not expected to be activated ahead of San Francisco's game against the Seahawks. The latest update was that the running back is eyeing a November return date.
San Francisco plays the Chiefs in Week 7 and the Cowboys in Week 8 before a Week 9 bye. If McCaffrey is eyeing a November return, that could come against the Buccaneers in Week 10, the Seahawks again in Week 11 or the Packers in Week 12.
