The timeline around Christian McCaffrey's rehab from his Achilles tendinitis injury has remained foggy throughout training camp and the start of the 2024 NFL regular season.
After initially appearing to be ready for Week 1, the 49ers placed their star running back on IR, and his return reportedly now is slated for November.
That erratic timeline has been frustrating for the Faithful. However, former San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman -- who dealt with several Achilles and calf injuries throughout his career -- explained Monday why fans must remain calm in waiting for McCaffrey's recovery.
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"Niner Faithful, patience is a virtue," he said on the latest episode of "The Richard Sherman Podcast." "Don't sit here and get all tight trying to figure out when Christian is coming back. Be patient. I guarantee you he is not trying to milk this."
Not only can Sherman relate to McCaffrey's physical ailment, but they come from similar backgrounds as Stanford products as well. So if fans are going to listen to anyone outside of the 49ers organization for input, Sherman probably is a good start.
"The Achilles injury is one of those that is so touch and go," Sherman continued. "I'm speaking from experience -- both rupturing my Achilles and having the Achilles tendinitis on the other ankle."
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In explaining the potential rehab processes from an Achilles injury, Sherman pointed out that McCaffrey can't simply receive an injection to ease the pain.
"That's one thing you should know," Sherman detailed. "Everybody is like, 'Man, why can't you just put a shot?' You cannot put a cortisone shot into the Achilles tendon. ... It will weaken it and rupture it."
With that personal experience, the five-time All-Pro agrees with the 49ers' cautious approach with McCaffrey, who already has a significant injury history.
"It's not worth it. They're playing it as correctly as they can," Sherman explained. "They're taking their time allowing him to go get the treatments that he can get, because ... no matter how tough you want to be, you got to be tougher than your brain and you got to send signals to your brain that you're okay. ...
"Every single one is different. So if you're hearing from an expert, 'Oh, he can be back here' or 'he won't be back until here,' they don't know, because nobody knows. ... He may wake up tomorrow and feel really good and be able to sprint again. And then he may wake up the next day, feel really good and be able to sprint again. And then the third day, he may wake up and can barely walk.
"That's just how crazy this injury and the flareups are."
That back-and-forth pattern described by Sherman certainly tracks with what has been reported around McCaffrey in recent weeks. So, although this likely won't be easy for 49ers fans to hear, they will need to remain patient -- just as Sherman warns.
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