The San Francisco 49ers are 4-4 coming out of their bye for a big Week 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Christian McCaffrey has been out for the entire season due to Achilles tendinitis. Now, the defending Offensive Player of the Year is on his way back. The 49ers opened Christian McCaffrey's practice window, designating his return from injury.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the news on Monday.
McCaffrey returning to practice does not mean that he will immediately come back to the lineup. As we saw with TJ Hockenson, the practice window can extend up to 21 days. The game against the Buccaneers is huge in the NFC playoff race, so his presence would be massive.
Jordan Mason was the biggest benefactor of the McCaffrey injury. He immediately became a household name with a 130-yard performance against the Jets on Monday Night Football. Now, he is suffering from a shoulder injury and has not been great in recent weeks.
49ers' offense runs through Christian McCaffrey
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The bad news for the 49ers is that they have sputtered to a 4-4 record this season. The good news is that the entire NFC West has done nearly the same thing. While they impossibly blew a game against the Rams and lost to the Cardinals, they still have a chance to win the division.
McCaffrey's injury is not the only one the 49ers have been dealing with this year. Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season with an ACL injury, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle have missed time, and Jauan Jennings missed Week 8. The season is still salvageable for the Niners despite all of that, showing both how well Brock Purdy has played and how mediocre the NFC West has been.
The window is open for 21 days, which means McCaffrey can make his debut in any of the next three games. After Tampa, the 49ers play the Seahawks and Packers.
