Given his veteran status and one of the team’s best players, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was unlikely to play much, if at all, during the preseason.
But if such an opportunity existed, it no longer exists. McCaffrey did not participate in practice Tuesday after missing the team portion of drills Sunday with a calf strain.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey likely will miss a few weeks of practice and is almost certain to miss all three of the team’s preseason games.
“He got hurt a couple days ago,” Shanahan said. “But it’s nothing serious, he didn’t tear anything.”
The rest period will give McCaffrey enough time to return to practice before the season opener on Sept. 9 against the New York Jets. Coming off a season in which McCaffrey had a career-high 417 touches (including the playoffs), the Niners have given him regular rest during this training camp.
In the first few days of camp, McCaffrey stressed that training camp is important to him because it’s a time to prepare for the heavy workload he takes on over the course of a season.
“For me, it puts my body, mind and soul in the best possible position to play every touch,” McCaffrey said.
2024-08-06 21:10:31
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