When news broke that Christian McCaffrey was limited at practice with what appeared to be a calf injury in the lead-up to the San Francisco 49ers' Week 1 showdown against the Seattle Seahawks, it left fans distressed.
After suffering through one of the worst seasons of the Kyle Shanahan era, with McCaffrey flying to Germany to get treatment for his Achilles injury, would the star running back's status once again be a weekly point of concern for the 49ers, even if Brian Robinson Jr. was explicitly acquired as a living insurance policy?
Discussing how he's doing after being unable to go fully at practice on Friday, McCaffrey assured reporters that he is feeling great and plans to play against the Seahawks on Sunday.
“Nothing serious, like I said, I feel great about where I'm at,” McCaffrey told reporters. “Unfortunately, the injury history that I have, sometimes I don't practice as good. Like I said, I feel great… I'm focused on this week and playing Seattle.”
Asked what happened during practice and why he was unable to go fully, McCaffrey noted that his limited status was simply out of an abundance of caution, as he doesn't want to jeopardize his play on Sunday.
“Yeah, I'm not supposed to go into anything that happened, but as I said, I felt like it was a smart thing to do to not finish the practice,” McCaffrey explained. “Because I've been there before and I've been my own worst enemy in situations like that. I'm just proud of myself for not doing that again. Like I said, after a whole training camp, I feel great about where I'm at.”
Now, to McCaffrey's credit, fans really only care how he performs on the field on Sundays, Thursdays, and Mondays, with what happens on the practice field failing to move the needle in either the standings or on the fantasy football field. And yet, if McCaffrey is struggling to just get through practice, will he be able to fully go when the bullets start flying? Fans will find out soon enough.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 5, 2025