San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will be out for Monday’s game against the New York Jets due to a calf injury.
The 49ers announced McCaffrey’s status In the team’s inactive report Shortly before kickoff. Former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga is also among San Francisco’s inactives due to a lingering knee injury that sidelined him at the end of last season. Jordan Mason will start at running back.
McCaffrey It was initially classified as questionable for Monday’s game according to San Francisco’s injury report released Saturday. Hufanaga was previously considered doubtful.
The news that McCaffrey will be sidelined comes as a surprise after McCaffrey and head coach Kyle Shanahan assured fans and media repeatedly during the preseason that he was on track to be ready to play in Week 1. McCaffrey initially suffered the calf injury in August early in training camp.
McCaffrey said on August 9 that his absence from practice was considered “precautionary” and that if the 49ers had a game that day, he would be ready.
Shanahan has said throughout the preseason that He is waiting for McCaffrey to play in Week 1. McCaffrey He returned to practice for the first time last Tuesdayputting him on track to play on Monday night.
He was then listed as a limited participant in Thursday’s practice with an Achilles/calf designation before receiving a questionable label on Saturday. Shanahan told reporters Thursday that the Achilles designation was nothing new and was related to his calf injury in training camp.
McCaffrey was seen doing light exercises during Thursday’s practice.
It was not immediately clear Monday whether McCaffrey suffered a setback or whether the 49ers held him out of the game as a precaution.
McCaffrey is a three-time All-Pro. He led the league in rushing with 1,459 rushing yards and 2,023 yards from scrimmage in 2023. He tied the NFL lead in touchdowns (21) with Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert. He was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
The 49ers enter the season coming off a Super Bowl appearance and are among the favorites to advance to the Super Bowl again outside of the NFC. McCaffrey, if healthy, is a big part of San Francisco’s success and projections to compete again in 2024.