The injury situation holding back Christian McCaffrey, the NFL’s reigning offensive player of the year, is becoming clearer.
When the San Francisco 49ers running back was first announced as having a calf issue, the 49ers didn’t appear to be very concerned with the severity of the injury. However, through the first four weeks of the NFL season, McCaffrey has yet to see the field and was placed on injured reserve due to complications with his Achilles.
McCaffrey recently traveled to Germany for further evaluation and treatment, a move that signaled things were much more severe than the 49ers originally anticipated.
According to The Spun, McCaffrey is dealing with “bilateral Achilles tendinitis,” meaning that he has tendinitis in not just one, but both of his Achilles. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke on Monday about his running back’s status.
“During the time he’s had it in both,” Shanahan said. “I think it started in one. You overcompensate. It went to the other. Mainly one of them has just been bothering him, but he’s had it in both.”
Dealing with two Achilles injuries doesn’t bode well for McCaffrey’s chances of returning to the field anytime soon.
Luckily for the 49ers, backup running back Jordan Mason has performed well in McCaffrey’s absence. Mason had 123 rushing yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots.
The Niners will still look to get McCaffrey back as soon as possible as they fight to return to the Super Bowl after last year’s defeat.
