Christian McCaffrey is officially out for at least the next month. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 49ers are placing their star running back on injured reserve. McCaffrey will now be sidelined for at least the next four games.
NFL Network Ian Rapoport says the team is hoping McCaffrey will be ready to play when first eligible in Week 6. That October 10th showdown with the Seahawks could end up marking the running back’s season debut.
McCaffrey was limited with Achilles tendinitis during the preseason and the practices preceding Week 1, leading to him being a sudden inactive for the team’s season opener. Both the player and the team expressed some optimism that the star would be back for Week 2. At the very least, there was optimism that McCaffrey would only have to miss one more game.
However, the organization’s tone changed over the past 24 hours. Yesterday, coach Kyle Shanahan definitively ruled out McCaffrey for Week 2 while also admitting that an IR stint was a real possibility. Now, the team will be rolling without their top offensive weapon for at least the next four games.
More to come…