More good news for the 49ers.
Christian McCaffrey reportedly is expected to return to practice after missing roughly the past month with a calf injury. Which means he almost certainly will play in the season opener Monday night against the Jets. This news comes on the heels of Trent Williams ending his hold-out and agreeing to a new deal with the 49ers.
It’s unclear just how severe McCaffrey’s calf injury was or if it would have kept him out of real games. The 49ers held him out of practice and preseason games, but that decision could have been purely precautionary. It will be interesting to see how the 49ers use McCaffrey early in the season.
From one perspective, McCaffrey is fresh and in the prime of his career — he’s ready for a gigantic workload. The offense has gone through him since he joined the team two years ago. Why change now?
From another perspective, he might not be in peak football shape just yet. And his calf injury seemed to be a reaggravation from last season. So the 49ers might need to be cautious with McCaffrey and limit his workload as much as possible.
The 49ers’ main objective should be to have McCaffrey as fresh as possible for the playoffs. Last year, he wore down a bit as the season progressed. This year, the 49ers have a premier backup running back Jordan Mason, who has improved tremendously this offseason. Let him make McCaffrey’s life a little easier.