San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey returned to practice on Monday for the first time in almost two months, aiming to come back from an Achilles tendon injury for the second half of the season.
The 49ers activated McCaffrey’s practice window on Monday, which allows the team three weeks to bring him off injured reserve. He participated in a light practice session as the team came back from their bye week.
If everything goes well in practice this week, McCaffrey could play on Sunday against Tampa Bay.
“It’s such an amazing feeling to see that 2-3 out there doing an extensive warmup and doing the million high knees he does before practice,” said All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams. “It was great seeing him.”
McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis since early August, missing most of training camp. He came back to practice just before the season opener, but was ruled out last-minute for the game against the New York Jets on Sept. 9.
He had a setback at practice on Sept. 12 and was placed on injured reserve two days later. Since then, he has spent seven weeks resting and recovering, even traveling to Germany for treatment.
The 49ers (4-4) are hoping McCaffrey’s return will help them improve in the second half of the season. The offense has struggled in the first part of the season, scoring 3.9 fewer points per game compared to last year.
“You could put him in any offense and that would make it better,” Williams said. “Obviously, our offense is kind of tailor-made to him and some of his strengths so it definitely will be a tremendous lift for us.”
Jordan Mason has stepped up well in McCaffrey’s absence, rushing for 685 yards in eight games, but the 49ers have really missed the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year, especially in the red zone and the passing game.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, helping San Francisco reach the Super Bowl.
After missing 23 games due to injuries in his last two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey has been healthy for the past two years. He missed only one game in 2022-23, which was a non-essential Week 18 game last season for the 49ers when he had a sore calf.
His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs over those two years were the third most for any player in a two-year period in the last decade.
The 49ers also activated the practice window for offensive lineman Jon Feliciano, who has been out all season with a knee injury.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings returned to practice on Monday after missing the last two games before the bye due to a hip injury. Kicker Jake Moody was also back after missing three games because of a high ankle sprain.
