San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is currently dealing with Achilles tendinitis in both of his legs. It is unclear as to when he might be able to return this season, if at all.
His father, three-time Super Bowl champion Ed McCaffrey, says that all his son can do is rest.
Tendinitis is defined as “inflammation of the thick fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone.” Christian McCaffrey is dealing with the aforementioned inflammation in both of his Achilles tendons. He recently took a trip to Germany for treatment, which could indicate a lengthy timeline to get back on the field.
According to Ed, there is not much more that can be done.
If you have tendinitis, you have tendinitis. I think of it as tennis elbow. You see tennis players get it, and they can’t play tennis for a while until it heals up.
He has that in his Achilles. It started with one, then it creeps into your calf and you start overcompensating and then you start feeling it in the other one. It’s just tendinitis. It just means it’s very, very sore.
— Ed McCaffrey
The elder McCaffrey recently discussed the frustrating injury on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast. He explained that his son developed the injury by working too hard.
Tendinitis is an over-training injury, meaning you’re training too hard or doing too much, and it turns into tendinitis.
— Ed McCaffrey
Although Christian is often praised for his work ethic, it actually proved to be a detriment in this specific instance.
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 McCaffrey
San Francisco’s 28-year-old running back is the biggest offense catalyst for any team in the NFL. His production in the 49ers backfield, even dating back to his time with the Panthers, is irreplaceable. Jordan Mason has done a great job of filling the vacant RB1 role, but it’s just not the same.
Although Christian McCaffrey is eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve in Week 5, the team is not going to rush him back. All they can do is wait. All he can do is rest, for now.
He trusts his 49ers training staff, but when the prescription is just to rest, he’s going to go out and get other professional opinions from people around the world.
— Ed McCaffrey
McCaffrey did not take off any time for a honeymoon after getting married during the offseason. He got right back to the grind, which might have contributed to the developed ailment.
Maybe he overdid it a little bit in the offseason and came in and got injured. But you never really know. Maybe it would’ve happened anyway, but that’s part of his process.
— Ed McCaffrey
Regardless of what caused the tendinitis, McCaffrey is going to do whatever it takes to get back on the field. His dad guarantees it.
I feel comfortable saying this: There is no player on the planet in any sport that pays as much money to have people help take care of his body than Christian does.
He’ll have a good plan. He’ll be back when he’s back. And hopefully playing at 100 percent and going out there and helping his team win.
— Ed McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey wants to play this season. It’s a matter of when, not necessarily if. But maybe if.
Rushing to return would only make his condition even worse!