When San Francisco 49ers’ All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey was scratched from the lineup shortly before the team’s season opener, no one could have predicted what was coming.
McCaffrey has gone from injured, to injured reserve, to now having no timetable for his return to the field. Earlier this week National Football League insider Adam Schefter reported that McCaffrey has Achilles tendonitis in both legs, leaving “a major question” when he will play again.
McCaffrey’s father Ed, who played for the 49ers and Broncos during a 13-year NFL career, revealed how his son was injured on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast. "Tendinitis is an over-training injury, meaning you're training too hard or doing too much, and it turns into tendinitis," Ed said.
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year missed most of training camp, but the 49ers did not disclose anything more than labeling McCaffrey’s condition as a “calf” issue.
"It started with one, then it creeps into your calf and you start overcompensating and then you start feeling it in the other one," Ed said.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he hopes the team will know where McCaffrey is with his recovery shortly. "I think we'll get a better idea here over the next couple of weeks," Shanahan said.
McCaffrey is eligible to return from injured reserve after Week 5, but that seems unlikely. There has been speculation that the 49ers are targeting Week 9, when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving him an additional month to heal.
NFL inside Ian Rapoport suggested that McCaffrey could play in “at least early November” after going to Germany to receive therapy.
If he cannot go then, the 49ers may be confronted with the possibility that McCaffrey will miss the entire season.
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