The San Francisco 49ers are currently navigating the trade rumor cycle as well as some injuries as they look to keep themselves afloat in the 2024 NFL season. Quarterback Brock Purdy played well in the team’s recent win over the Dallas Cowboys, which got a little bit closer than it probably should have down the stretch but still got San Francisco back to the .500 mark on the season.
The 49ers of course have been playing all year without running back and former MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey, who has been on injured reserve with Achilles tendinitis, but now there is increased optimism that a return could be on the horizon for the star, according to general manager John Lynch during an interview with KNBR (via David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone).
“The ideal scenario versus Tampa Bay is that he continues to—we keep using this terminology—but ramp up, which just means increase the volume of work that he’s doing,” Lynch said. “He’s been doing that, and he hasn’t had any setbacks. The hope is we take it up another notch this week. Provided that goes well, we’re kind of opening that window, allowing him to go back to practice. IR players can work to the side. They can’t get involved in practice. And so, Christian has been kind of on that plan.”
Lynch also spoke on why the team is being so cautious in their approach with McCaffrey.
Related San Francisco 49ers NewsArticle continues below
“Now, just opening his window doesn’t mean he has to play. We have three weeks then, in which we can activate him, so we’ll play this by ear,” he said. “We’ll listen to Christian, we’ll listen to the experts, and hopefully, very soon, he’s back playing with us on the field. And then, we’ve got to be judicious about how much we use him, and that’s a hard thing to do because he’s so darn good.”
The 49ers could certainly use the services of their best player as they look to make a postseason push and build on last season’s appearance in the Super Bowl.