Oct 5, 2024 9:33 pm: McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) won't return when eligible Week 6 against the Seahawks, but he did on-field work this week and didn't experience any flareups, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: The workouts marked McCaffrey's first on-field work since landing on IR in Week 2 and came less than two weeks after he visited a specialist in Germany. Schefter deemed the lack of a flareup as "mild encouragement" and noted that the star running back's return will be dependent on how he fares in practice while also citing a source indicating that McCaffrey could return as soon as Oct. 20 versus Kansas City. Schefter further suggests the possibility that San Francisco could opt to sit McCaffrey out through the team's Week 9 bye in order to give him an extra week of recovery, so an actual target date for a return remains very hazy. Jordan Mason will continue to start at running back for the 49ers for as long as McCaffrey remains out.