Christian McCaffrey injury: When will the star running back play for the San Francisco 49ers?

While no definitive timeline has been given, what we do know is that the Niners’ star running back is now set to miss the entirety of the preseason. With that said, the general consensus is that McCaffrey will be ready for the season opener.

Christian McCaffrey to miss rest of pre-season with calf injury

According to comments from San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday, star running back Christian McCaffrey will be sidelined for the preseason after sustaining a calf injury during training camp. Following practice on Tuesday, Shanahan told reporters that McCaffrey had suffered a calf strain. “Christian has a calf strain,” Shanahan said. “Did it a couple of days ago. It’s alright. He didn’t pull it or anything, but you guys probably won’t see him this preseason.”

On a positive note, it’s understood that the 28-year-old is not expected to be absent for long, with Shanahan stating that it will be “Probably a couple weeks.” With this in mind, fans can take comfort in the fact that McCaffrey will be there when the 49ers open their campaign against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on September 9th.

As for right here and now, San Francisco’s first preseason Game is set for Saturday, August 10th against the Tennessee Titans. Though McCaffrey will indeed miss that Game, it’s reasonable to assume that had he been Healthy, he would likely not have seen many minutes given that he is in fact a veteran of the team. Nonetheless, reps are always important ahead of a season which is to say we can only wait to see how he will face the 2024-25 season after not seeing any field time ahead of its start.

This is after all the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year that we’re talking about. One who rushed for a league-high 1,459 yards, scoring 21 total touchdowns. To be clear, McCaffrey broke the 49ers’ record for most touchdowns in a single season (including the playoffs), surpassing Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice. For now, we can only wait and watch.