Looks like the wait is over. Christian McCaffrey may finally be taken off the shelf.
That's according to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who said Thursday that the veteran running back is on the right track and expects McCaffrey to play in Week 10 on Sunday.
“I feel kind of good. He's had a good two days…he's been great the last two days,” Shanahan said on KNBR's “Tolbert & Copes.”
“Hopefully things continue to go well and I'm looking forward to getting him out there. You never know what's going to happen, setbacks and all that, but the last two days have been great. , I expect to see him on the field.”
The news comes a week and a half after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on “Good Morning Football” that he wouldn't be surprised if McCaffrey returned to the field against the Buccaneers. Bye week.
It's been a long road back for McCaffrey, who suffered a calf injury in the preseason before Shanahan revealed after Week 1's win over the Jets that the running back had been surprisingly inactive, but also suffered from Achilles tendonitis. was dealing with.
Shortly thereafter he was placed on wounded reserve.
On Monday, McCaffrey finally returned to practice, much to the delight of his teammates.
“You can put him in any offense and things will get better,” offensive lineman Trent Williams told reporters. “Obviously our offense is tailored to him and some of his strengths, so that's definitely going to be a big improvement for us.”
McCaffrey, the 2023 AP Offensive Player of the Year, will be a welcome addition to the 49ers, who started the season 4-4.
Jordan Mason did a great job replacing the three-time Pro Bowler, rushing for 685 yards in eight games.
But McCaffrey averaged He had 807 receiving yards per season in his career, which was less than Mason (10 catches for 86 yards this season).
So if McCaffrey is able to play Sunday, it should give the entire offense a big boost against Tampa Bay.
