URGENT SAGAS: Christian McCaffrey has been rushed to the hospital for critical health condition after…..read more

URGENT SAGAS: Christian McCaffrey has been rushed to the hospital for critical health condition after…..read more

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss at least the next four games due to injury. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers will place McCaffrey, last season’s NFC Offensive Player of the Year, on injured reserve as he continues to recover from calf tightness and Achilles tendonitis.

This decision means McCaffrey, who had already been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, won’t be eligible to return until Week 6 at the earliest. The injury, which has affected him since early August, was diagnosed as Achilles tendonitis by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

McCaffrey missed the preseason and was initially listed as questionable for Week 1 but was ultimately sidelined for the 49ers’ season opener against the New York Jets. Shanahan emphasized the need for caution with McCaffrey’s condition, noting that it was something they needed to carefully manage.

After McCaffrey’s injury worsened last Thursday, Shanahan mentioned the possibility of placing him on IR. “It’s been up and down, but yesterday was the most painful, so we’re going to assess in the next 24 hours,” Shanahan said.

In 2023, McCaffrey led the league with 1,459 rushing yards and scored 21 total touchdowns in an All-Pro season. Despite early-career injury struggles with the Carolina Panthers, which limited him to just 10 games combined in 2020 and 2021, he remained mostly healthy during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, missing only one regular-season game.

With McCaffrey sidelined, the 49ers will rely on Jordan Mason, who has been the team’s backup running back for the past two seasons. Mason stepped up in McCaffrey’s Week 1 absence, rushing for a career-high 147 yards on 28 carries.