SANTA CLARA — The 49ers have a few matters to attend to before adjourning Tuesday afternoon and taking the rest of the week off.
But not running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey will turn up the intensity in his workouts while the rest of the team is resting up in hopes of getting activated for practice and ideally be prepared to play on Nov. 10 when the 49ers visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“We’ve had no setbacks, but he’s going to hit it hard this week while we’re gone and try to simulate some practice stuff for himself,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday in a conference call with local writers. “As long as it all goes good, hopefully we’ll get him back in practice this week.”
That falls short of the assumption that McCaffrey will spring from a phone booth and be ready to instantly become what he was last season — the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year as the most dynamic runner/receiver in the game.
The 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys 30-24 Sunday night and enter the bye week with a 4-4 record. The club will meet to go over the Dallas game, break into groups, take a team photo and have a weight session with the strength coach before going their separate ways Wednesday through Sunday.
McCaffrey, 28, has been dealing with Achilles’ tendinitis in both legs. According to his father Ed McCaffrey, the condition was the result of overtraining.
“If I would say that Christian has a weakness, it’s that he sometimes has to protect himself from himself, in terms of training too much and doing too much,” Ed McCaffery said on Oct. 2 on the Ross Tucker Podcast.
The 49ers did exactly that when it became clear that McCaffrey’s condition had worsened leading up to the season opener. Placing him on injured reserve enabled McCaffrey and the 49ers to be more deliberate.
“After we decided to put on I.R., it’s been pretty easy,” Shanahan said. “That’s why we did decide to do that because we knew it was going to be at least a month, and shut him down for a while and now build him up slowly. Things have been going well and now it’s going to be nice to get him back hopefully.”
McCaffrey left the country briefly for Germany, reportedly for PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatments designed to speed the healing process. He’s been on-site and at games, and last week was spotted casually shooting hoops with teammates at the basket in the locker room.
If all goes according to plan, McCaffrey’s 21-day practice window will open next Monday, and then his progress will be monitored to see if playing on Nov. 10 is realistic.
“The expectation is to see how he is when he gets back and then evaluate him as he goes,” Shanahan said. “Of course the hope is that everything just goes back to normal and it’s perfect. That’s what we’re striving for. But you’ve got to play that out smartly and evaluate that each day — what we see with our own eyes, what he tells us. It’s something we’re constantly working through.”
McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing with 1,459 yards on 272 carries with 14 touchdowns in 16 games and had 67 receptions for 594 yards and seven touchdowns. Until this year, McCaffrey had played 33 games including the playoffs for the 49ers since being acquired by trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2022 and scored 39 touchdowns.
SCHNEIDER SAFE
Shanahan hasn’t let a coach go during the season at any point in his tenure with the 49ers which began in 2017 and he dismissed the notion of doing so with special teams coach Brian Schneider during the bye week.
“That hasn’t entered my head at all,” Shanahan said.
The 49ers’ beleaguered special teams units have contributed to the 4-4 start, but made no egregious errors and kept the explosive Dallas return game in check Sunday night.
“I know it hasn’t been good enough in the first half, not at all,” Shanahan said. “But I thought last night was a step in the right direction. We’ll get better or worse form that and I expect us to get better.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan has some words for an official during the 49ers’ 30-24 win over Dallas Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium. Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group
THE TRADE DEADLINE
With the trade deadline in Nov. 5, the 49ers may or may not have some new team members by the time they face the Bucs five days later. Wide receiver and the defensive line are two areas of concern.
Past offseasons have brought in McCaffrey and Chase Young via trade.
“You look at what’s available to help your team get better and if there’s anything out there that can help us in the immediate without hurting us in the future we’ll always look at it,” Shanahan said.
MORE ON THE WOUNDED
— Running back Jordan Mason aggravated a shoulder injury and will be checked out during the bye week.
— Linebacker Dee Winters has entered concussion protocol.
— Wide receiver Deebo Samuel has rib and oblique injuries and will be evaluated for practice availablity following the bye week.
— Cornerback Renardo Green has an ankle injury and is day to day.
— Wide receiver Chris Conley has a hamstring strain and is week to week.
— Linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) will be week to week once the 49ers return from the bye to determine if he’s ready to open a 21-day practice window.
SNAP JUDGEMENTS
68: Quarterback Brock Purdy and his entire offensive line played every snap.
64: George Kittle, dealing with a foot sprain, missed just four snaps on National Tight Ends Day — which he created.
62: Linebackers Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell and safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha played every snap. With seven tackles and no glaring coverage mistakes, it was Campbell’s best game a 49er.
58: Cornerback Charvarius Ward missed four snaps to get a groin issue checked out but re-entered the game. Despite two pass interference penalties, which both helped lead to Dallas touchdowns, Shanahan said Ward’s last two games against Dallas and Kansas City have been his best.
52: Conley was targeted just once with no receptions, but his end zone route (not ruled offensive pass interference) freed Kittle for a 2-yard touchdown reception. The last time he had more snaps was 55 in 2020 for Jacksonville.
43: Running back Isaac Guerendo had a breakout game with Jordan Mason leaving with a recurring shoulder injury. Hadn’t played more than 17 offensive snaps in game. Had 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 17 yards.
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40: Good progress for rookie Ricky Pearsall Jr., who played less than the 48 snaps he played in his debut and caught all four passes that went his way for 38 yards and raced 39 yards with an end-around in the fourth quarter.
8: All snaps were on special teams for safety Adrian Amos, a veteran making his 49ers’ debut as a practice squad promotion.
5: Even with depth issues on the defensive line, Ronnie Beal Jr. has seen his playing time dwindle as he’s played with minimal impact.
