San Francisco 49ers fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The team announced on Saturday that star running back Christian McCaffrey has been activated from injured reserve and will play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
McCaffrey has missed all eight games this season due to tendinitis in both his Achilles.
The 49ers are currently 4-4 and sit third in the NFC West, which is a big drop from where they were with McCaffrey in the lineup in previous seasons.
The 2023 league Offensive Player of the Year hasn’t played since Super Bowl LVIII, but he may not play a huge role right away.
“We’ll see how it goes with Christian,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “You don’t just sit there and split everything up just to do it. You keep the people out there who give you the best chance to win on each play.”
It seems McCaffrey will be eased back into the game rather than handling a full workload right away. Still, he feels confident in his health.
“I feel good now. I wouldn’t be out here if it was still bothering me. I feel great,” McCaffrey said on Friday.
In McCaffrey’s absence, backup running backs Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo have done well, combining for 912 yards and four touchdowns.
“It was amazing to see what those guys have done,” McCaffrey said. “[It’s] no shock … those guys did a hell of a job.”
Based on Shanahan’s comments, it seems all three rushers will be involved in the game plan, but McCaffrey is expected to take the majority of the carries.
