The San Francisco 49ers are gearing up for the start of a new NFL season, hoping to shine behind their star running back Christian McCaffrey. For now, McCaffrey is dealing with a minor injury that has raised some concern among fans, though there’s reason to remain calm.
McCaffrey understands that his history of injuries can create anxiousness whenever he appears on an injury report, but he emphasized that he feels ready heading into Sunday’s season opener.
“I feel great about my physical condition,” McCaffrey told reporters. “Nothing serious, I can tell you that. Like I said, I feel great about where I’m at. Unfortunately, when you have an injury history like I have, sometimes when you don’t practice things get blown out of proportion. Like I said, I feel great.”
The concern from fans is understandable given McCaffrey’s injury history. He missed the majority of the 2024 NFL season while dealing with bilateral Achilles tendinitis and a PCL injury, a void that was felt as San Francisco’s offense struggled to compensate without its dynamic backfield weapon.
McCaffrey explains his decision
McCaffrey didn’t go into detail about what prompted him to exit Thursday’s practice, but the two-time All-Pro expressed pride in exercising restraint and taking a precautionary approach—a lesson he learned the hard way in the past.
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“Yeah, I’m not supposed to go into anything that happened, but I felt like it was the smart thing to do to not finish the practice,” McCaffrey explained. “I’ve been there before and I’ve been my own worst enemy in situations like that, and I was proud of myself for not doing that again. I went through a whole training camp and I feel great about where I’m at.”
This could signal that McCaffrey is taking a more cautious approach to protect himself from injuries that could keep him sidelined for much of the NFL season. The worry, of course, is that an incident like this happened even before the 49ers have officially started their season.
