SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said he woke up Monday morning intending to play against the New York Jets that afternoon. But the calf and Achilles issues that have been bothering him for more than a month didn’t feel right and he decided instead to cheer on understudy Jordan Mason from the sideline.
“It was a good decision, a very tough one,” he said at his locker on Wednesday. “I hate not playing. But I look at it as a chess move and something that hopefully we can benefit from the rest of the season.”
Like last week, McCaffrey officially was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Also like last week, it was hard to tell that he was dealing with an injury that has prevented him from practicing in full since Aug. 4.
Dan Solomon, a surgeon with Marin Health UCSF Orthopedics, said the difficulty McCaffrey has had in shaking the injury is common. At issue is the fact that the tendon doesn’t get a very good blood supply.
“So getting that tendon to remodel and heal is oftentimes very challenging, especially in a sprinter who needs that power,” Solomon said. “And he’s obviously a very dynamic runner, so he needs a lot of push-off.”
He said athletes who deal with Achilles tendonitis are more apt to suffer a ruptured tendon later on, though that’s more common among older athletes. McCaffrey is 28.
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“It can happen in anyone,” Solomon said. “Usually, we see it more in older athletes who play pickleball and tennis — athletes over 50. But it also happens to NBA players, probably with more frequency than NFL players just because they’re doing jumping, landing, they have bigger feet, bigger levers. But any direction-changing sport that you need power off your ankle is potentially at risk.”
He said surgery is an option, but that’s usually a last resort. Another strategy is to get platelet-rich plasma injections to stimulate healing in the area, something he suspects McCaffrey might have tried.
“And maybe even a series of PRP injections just because the Achilles is so hard to get to heal,” Solomon said. “Basically, it’s promoting a healing response to the tendon.”
McCaffrey said the injury he’s dealing with now isn’t a remnant of the calf injury he had in Week 17 last season. And he said the fact that Sunday’s game in Minnesota is on an artificial surface won’t factor into this week’s decision making.
“My mentality is I’m playing this week,” he said. “That’s where I’m at. That’s where I am every week. You know, I’m not lying. I think as soon as a player says, you know, ‘Maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t.’ That’s not a good mentality to go into a week with — when you’re kind of on the fence.”
Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers aren’t thinking about placing McCaffrey on injured reserve.
“No, I’ve never considered that,” he said. “I was considering (playing him) last week, so definitely not thinking about four weeks off.”
Odds and ends
• Shanahan and the 49ers will face on Sunday a quarterback, Sam Darnold, they helped shape. Darnold, who was San Francisco’s No. 2 quarterback last season, was 19-of-24 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the Vikings’ 28-6 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
“Sam came in with such a good mindset,” Shanahan said. “He was so detailed in what he did, really never wavered and really tried to pick stuff up. I thought he came in really good and I thought he got better throughout the year.”
Shanahan said he thought the Vikings, which run an offense similar to San Francisco’s, was a “real good spot” for Darnold.
“I was hoping he’d find no good spots and come back here,” he said. “But I was happy for him. He got this opportunity because Sam more than deserves it. Sam is a starting quarterback in this league and he should run with it.”
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• Like last week, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) missed Wednesday’s practice. Receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle), safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee) and guard Aaron Banks (finger/calf) were limited in practice.
Shanahan said Wednesday’s session was a half-speed practice considering the team had played a game Monday. Thursday’s will be full speed, he said.
• The 49ers added tackle Chris Hubbard, who spent training camp with them, to the practice squad on Wednesday and released defensive end Jonathan Garvin. Hubbard’s addition gives the 49ers five tackles total: Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore on the active roster, and Hubbard and international player Isaac Alarcon on the practice squad. Another tackle who went through 49ers’ training camp, Brandon Parker, was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday.
• Jake Moody was named the NFC’s special teams player of the week after hitting all six of his field goal attempts Monday. Moody led the NFL with 20 points in Week 1.
“I didn’t even realize how many he hit until after the game,” Shanahan said. “Probably should have gave him a game ball, but one hit the crossbar. But no, it was awesome for him. Especially, I think there were two 50-yard plus ones, and that was huge.”
(Photo: David Gonzales / USA Today)
