SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In the case of San Francisco 49ers operating again Christian McCaffrey‘s availability, no guesswork is required this week.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday dominated McCaffrey out for Sunday’s recreation on the Minnesota Vikings after the operating again did not really feel proper with restricted participation in Thursday’s observe. Placing McCaffrey on injured reserve, which might require him to sit down out at the very least 4 video games, is now part of the dialog, Shanahan mentioned.
“It is one thing we’re contemplating now,” Shanahan mentioned. “Yesterday was his worst day. It is on and off, however with yesterday having essentially the most ache. It is one thing we’ll be discussing collectively within the subsequent 24 hours.”
McCaffrey has been coping with a proper calf damage and Achilles tendinitis that made him a shock pregame scratch earlier than Monday evening’s opener towards the New York Jets.
As he was final week, McCaffrey was a restricted participant in observe Wednesday and Thursday, however indicators of his potential deactivation have been clear when he was not on the sector in the course of the early portion of Friday’s observe that was open to reporters.
If the Niners put McCaffrey on injured reserve earlier than Sunday’s recreation, he can be eligible to return Oct. 10 towards the Seattle Seahawks on “Thursday Evening Soccer.”
Shanahan added that as of now, McCaffrey doesn’t require any kind of process to restore the damage.
McCaffrey spoke to reporters earlier this week and clarified why he was so adamant earlier than the Jets recreation that he was going to play. McCaffrey defined that every time he’s coping with an damage, he mentally tells himself he’s going to be able to go even when that in the end does not transform the case.
“My mindset each week is I’ll play,” McCaffrey mentioned Wednesday. “There’s been weeks the place I am going to go the total week, not even feeling adequate to do the walk-through, after which I get up and the physique’s able to quite a lot of cool issues. Mentally, I am all the time ready to play, after which I awoke and it was a gaggle choice, a really robust one. I hate not enjoying, however I have a look at it as a chess transfer and one thing that hopefully you possibly can profit from the remainder of the season.”
McCaffrey’s inactive standing Monday evening got here as a shock, however a league spokesperson advised ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the NFL regarded into the matter and “discovered no proof of a violation of the league’s Damage Report Coverage.”
The Niners’ hope is that extra relaxation for McCaffrey will enable him to place the tendinitis up to now. Shanahan has mentioned the arduous half is the problem with the Achilles comes and goes, which has made it troublesome to judge on something apart from a day-to-day foundation.
Shanahan was requested Wednesday whether or not McCaffrey could possibly be a candidate for injured reserve. He mentioned then it had not been a consideration, however each he and basic supervisor John Lynch struck a unique tone Friday after this newest setback.
“If that is the best factor, it is what we’ll do,” Lynch advised KNBR Radio in San Francisco. “All choices, as Kyle has mentioned, are on the desk. We’ll do what’s proper for Christian and what’s proper for our staff.”
This week, which means a second consecutive begin for third-year operating again Jordan Mason after his breakout efficiency Monday evening. In his first profession begin, Mason rushed 28 occasions for 147 yards and a landing with a catch for five yards.
It was essentially the most carries in a regular-season recreation by a Niners participant since Shanahan took over in 2017 and essentially the most in a 49ers season opener in franchise historical past.
That efficiency undoubtedly buoyed San Francisco’s confidence in Mason to make one other begin because the staff travels to Minnesota, a spot the place the Niners have misplaced seven consecutive video games.
“I preserve saying, this man simply retains getting higher and higher and higher,” run recreation coordinator Chris Foerster mentioned. “JP all the time labored arduous, however there was all the time that little little bit of a belief issue there. Now he is all-in with [running backs coach] Bobby [Turner]. He is all-in with the offense, and he has simply flourished. He is a tricky, hard-running man.”
With McCaffrey out and Mason beginning, the Niners’ backup choices will once more be broad receiver Deebo Samuel, rookie Isaac Guerendo and fourth-year veteran Patrick Taylor Jr. Neither Guerendo nor Taylor had a carry behind Mason towards the Jets, although, as Samuel was the one different Niners participant to take a handoff, dashing eight occasions for 23 yards and a landing.
“It is completely different to be right down to your third man already,” Shanahan mentioned. “I’ve by no means actually checked out Elijah [Mitchell] or JP [Mason] as two or threes. I feel these guys are able to being ones as Elijah has proven up to now and so did JP. The 2 new guys when their [opportunity] comes, I imagine they’re prepared.”
In different Niners damage information, security Talanoa Hufanga (proper knee) is uncertain for Sunday and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) is listed as questionable.