49ers star Christian McCaffrey offers update on injury that is keeping him out of preseason

Christian McCaffrey won't be on the field for any of the San Francisco 49ers' preseason games.

McCaffrey was ruled out of San Francisco's exhibition schedule because of a calf strain, but the Offensive Player of the Year offered an update this week that will calm any fears of the injury lingering into games that matter.

“Yeah, I feel great,” McCaffrey told SiriusXM Radio.

"Very cautionary stuff. If we had a game I would play, but just trying to be smart right now. Still training, still getting a bunch of work in, so come Week 1, I’ll be ready to roll."

It's encouraging that McCaffrey is still preparing for the new season physically in some capacity as he sits out practice and, such is the running back's importance to the NFL's top offense, it's best for the 49ers to be overly cautious with him.

The focal point of San Francisco's attack, McCaffrey could take on an even more significant role if the Brandon Aiyuk saga ends with Brock Purdy's favorite receiving weapon being traded. McCaffrey himself inadvertently stoked the flames around that potential scenario last week.

While the 49ers would ideally like to get McCaffrey a couple of preseason carries to knock the rust off. The reward is nowhere near worth the risk.

Having shown outstanding durability since his arrival in a trade from the Carolina Panthers in 2022, there's no reason to believe McCaffrey won't be ready to go for the Week 1 primetime encounter with the New York Jets .

The 49ers playing it safe increases the likelihood of him hitting the ground running and swiftly reprising his dominant 2023 from when he does take the field for that massive Monday Night game.

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