San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will be out for about two weeks of practice due to a strained calf.
McCaffrey injured his calf late last week, but coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned on Tuesday that it wasn’t a muscle pull. McCaffrey won’t play in the preseason but should be back in practice well before the regular season starts on September 9.
Since joining the 49ers in a trade from Carolina midway through the 2022 season, McCaffrey has significantly improved San Francisco’s offense. In 27 games with the 49ers, he has rushed for 2,205 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 119 passes for 1,028 yards and 11 scores.
Last season, McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, earning the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.
The 49ers are also missing backup running back Elijah Mitchell, who is out for about a week with a strained hamstring.
To address the depth issue in the backfield before the preseason opener on Saturday night at Tennessee, San Francisco signed veteran Matt Breida.
Breida played his first three NFL seasons with San Francisco, rushing for 1,902 yards and six touchdowns in 43 games from 2017 to 2019. He led the 49ers in rushing with 814 yards in 2018 and averaged 5.0 yards per carry during those years.
After being traded to Miami in 2020, Breida spent a year in Buffalo and the last two seasons with the New York Giants.
“We had to bring Matt in, which was awesome to have Matt available,” Shanahan said. “We needed some numbers out there and to get a legit player who’s had a great career and has been here before too, felt pretty fortunate.”
San Francisco is also missing fourth-round rookie back Isaac Guerendo, who injured his hamstring early in camp. Jordan Mason, undrafted rookie Cody Schrader, and Patrick Taylor are expected to play this week.
