SANTA CLARA – Christian McCaffrey would have preferred not to sit out the 2024 NFL preseason while recovering from a variety of injuries. In hindsight, however, the time away from practice might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the 49ers running back.
The workhorse in Kyle Shanahan’s backfield and the reigning NFL rushing leader, McCaffrey puts his body through a rigorous grind every week during the season. His dedication and daily workout regimen are widely popular among his San Francisco teammates, so if he needed the extra time to heal, so be it.
“Seeing how Christian prepares, I haven’t seen anything like that,” 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said Friday. “He does it better than anybody if you ask me. Just to see how he goes about taking care of his body, his mentality for getting ready for games, it’s on another level.”
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McCaffrey made his long-awaited practice debut on Thursday and was back on the fields adjacent to Levi’s Stadium again Friday, three days before the 49ers begin the 2024 season at home against the New York Jets.
There had been some concern that McCaffrey might not be able to play against the Jets due to a strained calf. In the most recent practice report, the 49ers noted that McCaffrey is also dealing with an Achilles issue.
“Rest is never a bad thing,” McCaffrey told NBC Sports Bay Area. “Obviously I like to practice. Practice is important. But whether you’re in there or not, you can still get better, you can still grow. You still got to do the things you have to do to get back as soon as possible.”
McCaffrey didn’t go into details about his Achilles injury but said it’s not a major concern and he has no reason to doubt his availability to play on Monday night.
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While the focus of that game will be on Northern California native and Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will be playing for the first time since getting hurt in his first game with New York in 2023, McCaffrey might end up stealing the spotlight.
McCaffrey led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards in 2023 and was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Recently named as one of eight team captains with the 49ers, McCaffrey can join an elite group.
The incredibly versatile three-time Pro Bowl running back, who caught seven touchdown passes in 2023, needs one more to become only the third player in NFL history to have at least 50 rushing touchdowns and 30 touchdown receptions.
Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore, both Hall of Famers, are the only two other players to reach the 50-30 plateau.
McCaffrey isn’t even entertaining the thought of hitting that milestone. His only expectations, as they’ve always been, is to play as hard as possible and let the results be what they will be.
“Every day presents new challenges,” McCaffrey said. “I think it’s just taking it one play at a time. I don’t like to look ahead. Each play has a life of its own. Just do what you have to do on each play, control what you can control and go from there.”
While McCaffrey isn’t setting expectations for himself, some of his teammates already have a good idea of what to expect.
“My expectations for Christian? Whatever his expectations are for himself, which I know are very high,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “He takes this incredibly seriously. I believe that Christian’s going to go out and have another great year.”
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