If the San Francisco 49ers are going to rebound from their nightmare 2024 season and become competitive again, the first thing they will need to do is stay healthy. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to do so lately.
Last season was defined by the injury bug, which seemed to sink its teeth into every corner of their roster. Since training camp started, a number of key players have been dealing with ailments again, especially on offense.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey was hit as hard as anyone by the injury bug last year. He was healthy throughout the preseason, but with the Niners’ regular-season opener approaching, he’s now banged up.
On Thursday, he was limited in practice due to a calf ailment, per Ari Meirov. He had fully participated in practice on Wednesday.
Christian McCaffrey was a full participant in practice yesterday. https://t.co/fmUcy3Higc
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 4, 2025
Read more: 49ers’ Bryce Huff Receives Massive 2025 Prediction
McCaffrey only played in four games in 2024 after he sustained an Achilles injury weeks before the season started. Then in Week 13, he injured his PCL and was shut down for the rest of the season.
McCaffrey has been a bit injury-prone throughout his NFL career, which makes it easy to forget how great a player he is when he’s healthy enough to play. During the 2023 season, he led the league with 1,459 rushing yards and 2,023 yards from scrimmage, and he was tied for the most overall touchdowns with 21. That output earned him the Offensive Player of the Year award.
In 2019, McCaffrey joined Marshall Faulk and former 49ers running back Roger Craig as the only players to record 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in the same season.
His ability to not only catch screen passes but also line up as a makeshift wide receiver makes San Francisco’s offense unpredictable and hard to defend.
Read more: 49ers Prediction Bodes Well For Christian McCaffrey
While McCaffrey is dealing with his latest injury, wide receiver Jauan Jennings was a limited participant in practice on Thursday due to a calf issue of his own. Brandon Aiyuk will miss at least the first few weeks of 2025 because of the torn ACL he sustained last October, and starting right tackle Dominick Puni, who had a strong rookie year in 2024, was also limited as he’s dealing with a bad knee.
The 49ers will visit the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday to begin their 2025 schedule. They will have arguably the NFL‘s easiest schedule, but if they have to deal with another rash of injuries, that won’t matter as they look to return to the playoffs.
For more on the 49ers and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
The post 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Is Dealing With Another Injury appeared first on Newsweek.
