49ers news: Christian McCaffrey will return to practice on Tuesday

The good news just keeps coming for the San Francisco 49ers, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that star running back Christian McCaffrey will return to practice on Tuesday after missing much of training camp with a strained calf.

McCaffrey, 28, hadn’t been too much of a concern with his injury, but the 49ers did lose some important running back depth last week, as Elijah Mitchell was put on season-ending Injured Reserve, leaving the team without one of their top players at the position.

So, it’ll be McCaffrey and Jordan Mason leading the way in Week 1 for the 49ers against the New York Jets, with things trending upwards for the star running back.

The McCaffrey news comes on the heels of the 49ers signing both wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams to extensions over the past week, with the latter news coming earlier this morning, meaning the team has their whole crew together heading into Week 1.

Like McCaffrey, Aiyuk will practice for the first time this week, hoping to ramp up quickly enough to be ready for a normal workload in Week 1.

The star running back has dealt with calf strains before, as he left Week 17 early last year with the same injury, playing through it in the playoffs.

McCaffrey also had an oblique injury earlier in the season that limited him for a period of time, although the 28-year-old played through the issue, leading him to suit up for every game last year except the meaningless Week 18 contest.

Throughout his 49ers career, McCaffrey has been healthy for the most part, playing 17 games in 2022 (six with Panthers, 11 with 49ers), and 16 games in 2023. Now, he’ll look to continue that trend by suiting up in Week 1, which is seeming likelier and likelier.

It’ll benefit him if left tackle Trent Williams can have a quick ramp-up and suit up on Monday night, although his status remains firmly up in the air until he gets into the building and starts practicing again.

But overall, good news is coming at the right time for the 49ers, who are looking at close to full strength for Week 1 against the Jets.