It would make the most sense to give McCaffrey through the bye week, but that’s easy to say from the outside looking in.
The San Francisco 49ers have a crucial four-game stretch before their bye week. They have a chance to put themselves in a favorable position heading into the second half of the season.
At some point, the Niners expect Christian McCaffrey, Dre Greenlaw, and Ricky Pearsall to return.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes there are three possible target dates for McCaffrey to return, and they are all relatively soon. McCaffrey had his first on-field work this past week, and his calf and Achilles did not flare up, per Schefter. He said that McCaffrey is focused on avoiding setbacks so we can return, possibly as early as this month:
If his progress continues without any setbacks, McCaffrey could return Oct. 20 for a Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs, according to league sources.
There also is a chance McCaffrey could return for an Oct. 27 game against the Cowboys, according to sources. But even more reasonably, the 49ers could opt to sit McCaffrey for both those games and then give him the bye week to continue to ramp up for their next game at Tampa Bay on Nov. 10.
The Niners do not know which of those weeks is the most realistic return date, but they do know that McCaffrey hasn’t suffered any recent setbacks.
Hopefully, McCaffrey and the 49ers will continue to receive encouraging news as the All-Pro progresses.
The last thing you want is McCaffrey to push himself too hard and come back too early, leading to a flare-up. Logically speaking, the team should continue to allow the reigning Offensive Player of the Year to ramp up through the month of October before he returns for the playoff run after the bye week.
When do you think McCaffrey will return?