Christian McCaffrey injury update: 49ers reportedly placing reigning OPOY on injured reserve

As he prepares to miss another week of football, the San Francisco 49ers have reportedly decided to put star running back Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least another couple of weeks of action.

The news comes after McCaffrey was ruled out for the 49ers’ Week 2 clash with the Minnesota Vikings, which signaled his second straight absence with calf and Achilles injuries, following a victory in Week 1 against the New York Jets.

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ESPN sources: 49ers officially are placing All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve due to his calf tightness and Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey now will miss the next four games, at least, before the team assesses whether he can return in mid-October. pic.twitter.com/VV9GRihDrL

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 14, 2024

“ESPN sources: 49ers officially are placing All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve due to his calf tightness and Achilles tendinitis,” Adam Schefter of ESPN posted on X. “McCaffrey now will miss the next four games, at least, before the team assesses whether he can return in mid-October.

Throughout the last week after Week 1, McCaffrey’s status was closely monitored. He was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, but did not participate on Friday and was later labeled unable to go Sunday against Minnesota.

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Moving forward, McCaffrey’s absence would open the door for Jordan Mason to continue to get some run as the starting running back, following a huge season debut against the Jets in Week 1. He took 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in the victory to lead the 49ers running game.

News of McCaffrey’s absence came down with the final injury report ahead of Monday Night Football against the Jets. It was a bit of a surprise, and he found out that morning he wouldn’t be able to go.

“On Monday morning, just moving around a little bit. I prepare every week to play. My mindset every week is I want to play,” McCaffrey said, per Sports Illustrated. “There have been weeks where I’ll go the full week not even feeling good enough to do the walk-through, and then I wake up and my body is capable of a lot of cool things.

“Mentally, I’m always prepared to play in the game. But it was a group decision, a very tough one. I hate not playing. I look at it as a chess move and something that hopefully we can benefit from the rest of the season.”

Alas, Christian McCaffrey is a key piece of the San Francisco offense, as a top weapon in both the running game and the passing game for Brock Purdy. Last season, he ran for a career-high 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 564 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the air.

His absence will certainly continue to be felt, as he’s one of the truly irreplaceable players in the league, even if Jordan Mason has shown capable to toting the rock inside the San Francisco offense.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.