The San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey expects to be back from his Achilles injury in early November, according to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
McCaffrey initially went down during training camp with a reported calf strain. However, the injury proved to be much worse than initially believed, with the 49ers later revealing that the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year is dealing with Achilles tendonitis.
McCaffrey was placed on the Injured Reserve in Week 2 and reportedly got treatment in Germany to speed up his recovery process. The treatment apparently went well, and McCaffrey can start running on hard ground as soon as this week.
Considering that the 49ers are on a bye for Week 9, McCaffrey could possibly return for their Week 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is scheduled for November 10.
In McCaffrey’s absence, the 49ers turned to 2022’s undrafted pickup Jordan Mason to carry their running game and found a lot of success. Mason leads the league with 91 carries while rushing for 447 yards and three touchdowns. He also has six catches for 57 yards, with five of those catches coming resulting in a first down.
