Christian McCaffrey injury update: John Lynch reveals chances for 49ers RB vs. Buccaneers

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch provided an injury update on injured running back Christian McCaffrey on Monday.

Lynch spoke with Tim Kawakami on The TK Show about Christian McCaffrey and whether or not he will be able to suit up when the 49ers face the Buccaneers this coming Sunday.

“I sure hope so,” John Lynch said. “Christian’s passed every part of the test in our plan. Over the bye week, he stayed here with our trainers. How do you come to work on the bye week? You come when you’ve got guys like him working out and you want to see it. I sat up in my office and watched from afar. He looks great. He’s responded well.”

The fact that McCaffrey “looks great” is certainly encouraging news for a 49ers team that is off to a 4-4 start to the season.

Christian McCaffrey has been sidelined for the entire season with bilateral Achilles tendonitis after being named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season.

A healthy McCaffrey returning to the lineup for San Fransisco would be paramount as they currently sit in a tight NFC West Division race. They still rank second in the NFL in yards per game and top five in rushing and passing, despite the engine of their offense not playing in a single game this season.

McCaffrey’s injury status was downplayed entering the season, but he was eventually placed on the injured reserve after missing Week 1. He would end up seeing a specialist in Germany last month regarding his Achilles issues. But it now sounds like his return will be sooner rather than later after rushing for 1,459 yards, racking up 564 receiving yards, and scoring 21 total touchdowns last season.

Perhaps Christian McCaffrey can come back this coming week and help the 49ers start a run to the Super Bowl. San Francisco was viewed as a serious contender in the NFC entering the season and still has a chance to be an elite team before the season is over.