The long wait is over. Christian McCaffrey appears ready to return to action.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Thursday that he expects the team’s star running back to make his season debut on Sunday in a Week 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis since early August. He missed almost all of training camp before returning to practice just before the season opener. He was scratched at the last minute before that game against the New York Jets on Sept. 9 and then had a setback at practice on Sept. 12.
He was placed on injured reserve two days later and spent the past seven weeks resting and rehabilitating, including a trip to Germany for treatment.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns as he helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
The 49ers (4-4), who are currently third in the NFC West division, are counting on McCaffrey’s return for a second-half boost. San Francisco has sputtered in the first half of the season with the offence scoring 3.9 fewer points per game than last season.
— With files from the Associated Press
