Christian McCaffrey (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Christian McCaffrey’s father and former NFL star wide receiver, Ed, provided more details on the bilateral Achilles tendinitis condition that has sidelined the San Francisco 49ers superstar for the entire 2024 NFL season.

After the 49ers’ Week 1 home win against the New York Jets, Christian McCaffrey was placed on the injured reserve with an Achilles/calf injury. If a player is placed on the IR, they must miss at least four games, but there’s still no timeline on when the reigning rushing champion may return.

During an appearance on the “Ross Tucker Football Podcast”, Ed shared more information on his son’s injury. The elder McCaffrey revealed that Christian suffered his injury from “over-training” and cautioned his son not to overdo it:

“Tendinitis is an over-training injury, meaning you’re training too hard or doing too much, and it turns into tendinitis. 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.’

Achilles tendinitis is described by the Mayo Clinic as ‘an overuse injury of the Achilles tendon, the band of tissue that connects calf muscles at the back of the lower leg to the heel bone.”

With Christian McCaffrey sidelined, Jordan Mason has flourished with an expanded role in the backfield. The 25-year-old has 447 rushing yards, second-most in football behind Baltimore Ravens star Derrick Henry.

But there’s still no replacement for the all-world talents of a player like McCaffrey, who is a consistent threat for 2,000 scrimmage yards when healthy. Last year, Run CMC led the NFL with 2,023 yards of offense and 21 total touchdowns.

In the regular season, the 49ers have gone an impressive 22-5 with Christian McCaffrey in the lineup. They are 4-2 in the postseason with Run CMC, with two NFC title game appearances and a Super Bowl 58 berth.

49ers Need Christian McCaffrey Healthy For Playoffs

The 49ers have enough offensive firepower to get by without McCaffrey in the regular season, namely Mason, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and the surprising Jauan Jennings.

For San Francisco, the main goal has to be to get Christian McCaffrey ready and healthy for the postseason. He can single-handedly take over games as a runner and pass-catcher, and it’s no coincidence that the 49ers have enjoyed two deep playoff berths since acquiring him from Carolina.