The San Francisco 49ers have a new weekly problem to solve now that running back Christian McCaffrey has returned from Achilles tendinitis.
While it’s certainly a positive that the reigning Offensive Player of the Year is back in their lineup, the club now has to navigate managing his injury. Part of that will likely be limited practice work and plenty of appearances for McCaffrey on the practice participation report as a result.
McCaffrey debuted Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and notched 13 carries to go along with six receptions on seven targets. He got through the game without issue, but showed up on Wednesday’s practice report as a limited participant.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan before Wednesday’s session said there was no setback for McCaffrey and that his limited practice was a product of how the 49ers are choosing to manage the injury.
It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if McCaffrey didn’t have a full participation in a full practice the rest of the year.
There doesn’t appear to be any inkling from the club or Shanahan that McCaffrey’s workload will diminish greatly this year. He averaged 21.2 touches per game last season and came out of the gate with his 19 in Week 10.
Shanahan didn’t seem bothered by the number of touches McCaffrey received in his debut, indicating he’ll likely continue being the workhorse back for San Francisco. Where they will shortcut his usage is in practice where full participation isn’t required for McCaffrey to be effective during the week.
This may all change if he has a setback at some point, but for now we can get used to seeing McCaffrey on the participation report as less than a full participant.
