Christian McCaffrey won’t be activated from injured reserve when eligible in Week 6, according to ESPN, but there is apparently reason for hope the San Francisco 49ers running back’s return won’t take much longer than that.
McCaffrey has been on injured reserve since Week 2 with calf and Achilles tendinitis. He did not play in Week 1 after being a late scratch before San Francisco’s season opener.
There were previous indications that McCaffrey would return in November, but ESPN reports McCaffrey began on-field work without incident this week. If his current progress continues without setbacks, McCaffrey could reportedly return as early as the Niners’ Oct. 20 Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs.
After that, the Niners play the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 27 and then have a bye week before their Nov. 10 date against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Any of those dates could apparently be the game he comes back, but the bye week obviously makes November attractive if you’re prioritizing caution.
McCaffrey flew to Germany last week to get a second opinion from a specialist on his Achilles injury.
With McCaffrey out, the Niners have featured Jordan Mason at running back. Through five games, he has 447 rushing yards — second in the NFL — and three touchdowns on an NFL-high 91 carries. As a team, the Niners are off to a 2-2 start.
