SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey returned to practice for the first time in nearly two months as he hopes to return from an Achilles tendon injury for the second half of the season.
The Niners opened the practice window for McCaffrey on Monday, giving the team a three-week window to activate him from injured reserve. McCaffrey took part in a brief practice as San Francisco returned from a bye week and could play on Sunday against Tampa Bay if all goes well at practice this week.
“It’s such an amazing feeling to see that 2-3 out there doing an extensive warmup and doing the million high knees he does before practice,” All-Pro left tackle Trent Willimas said. “It was great seeing him.”
McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis since early August. He missed almost all of training camp before returning to practice just before the season opener. He was scratched at the last minute before that game against the New York Jets on Sept. 9 and then had a setback at practice Sept. 12.
He was placed on injured reserve two days later and spent the past seven weeks resting and rehabilitating, including a trip to Germany for treatment.
The 49ers (4-4) are counting on McCaffrey's return for a second-half boost. San Francisco has sputtered in the first half of the season with the offense scoring 3.9 fewer points per game than last season.
“You could put him in any offense and that would make it better,” Williams said. “Obviously, our offense is kind of tailor-made to him and some of his strengths so it definitely will be a tremendous lift for us.”
Jordan Mason has done a good job filling in for McCaffrey with 685 yards rushing in eight games but the Niners have sorely missed the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year in the red zone and in the passing game.
McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns as he helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl.
After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.
He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.
The Niners also opened the practice window for offensive lineman Jon Feliciano, who has been out all season with a knee injury. Receiver Jauan Jennings was back at practice as well on Monday after missing the two games before the bye with a hip injury and kicker Jake Moody was back after missing three games with a high ankle sprain.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
