The San Francisco 49ers will not have Christian McCaffrey available when they face the Minnesota Vikings.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Friday that McCaffrey will be inactive. This will make it the second consecutive game McCaffrey has missed as he nurses Achilles tendonitis. It’ll also be the first time he has missed consecutive games since joining the 49ers in 2022.
It’s been a roller coaster ride with McCaffrey’s injury. Earlier in the week Shanahan had said that the 49ers weren’t considering placing him on Injured Reserve, But now that he is out against the Vikings, Shanahan’s tune has changed.
“It’s something we’re considering now, yeah,” said Shanahan on placing McCaffrey on Injured Reserve. “Yesterday was his worst day. It’s on and off, but with yesterday, having the most pain, it’s something we’re going to be discussing here in the next 24 hours.”
Should McCaffrey end up on Injured Reserve, the 49ers will rely on Jordan Mason. The offense barely skipped a beat with Mason as the starter. He plays a significant part in the 49ers feeling comfortable placing McCaffrey on Injured Reserve.
However, Mason probably won’t be the bell cow that he was against the New York Jets. Having to tally over 20 carries every week is new to him and could tire him out as the season progresses. Shanahan is prepared to incorporate rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor into the mix.
“Taylor had real good OTAs and training camp with us. Had a little setback when he did have an injury, but came back and finished strong there that last week, that last preseason game,” said Shanahan. “Guerendo, he missed so much time. But then when he got those two games, he was rolling. He looked good in those games, looked the same way in practice.
“It’s different to be down to your third guy already,” continued Shanahan. “But we never really looked at Elijah [Mitchell] or JP as two or threes. I think those guys are capable of being ones, as Elijah’s shown in the past. And so has JP. For those, the two new guys, when their opportunity comes, I believe they’re ready.”
The best course of action for the 49ers is to place McCaffrey on Injured Reserve. Achilles tendonitis won’t suddenly go away soon. He needs substantial time for the inflammation to regress by staying off it and receiving treatment.
It is very likely that the 49ers will place him on the list by tomorrow so that they can get one of his four required inactive games out of the way.
