The 49ers activated Christian McCaffrey from injured reserve

TAMPA, Fla. – On Friday, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said only “something crazy” that happened on the team's flight to Tampa would keep running back Christian McCaffrey from his season debut on Sunday.

That apparently didn't happen, as the Niners made McCaffrey's return to the 53-man roster official on Saturday. They activated him from injured reserve after he missed the first eight games with bilateral Achilles tendonitis, and he will make his 2024 season debut against the Buccaneers, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday.

For McCaffrey, the chance to get back on the field comes not a moment too soon.

“Sometimes you take it for granted that you play this game for a living and that it's what you do, it's what you train for, but when it's taken away from you, even for a little while, it makes you appreciate it every single game really. “Day you’re on the field,” McCaffrey said Friday.

To make room on the roster for McCaffrey, the 49ers waived running back Patrick Taylor Jr. on Friday night. With the addition of McCaffrey, the Niners have four defensive backs on the depth chart in Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

In other roster news, wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to play against Tampa after being limited to practicing this week, a source told ESPN. Samuel (rib, oblique) was listed as questionable on the team's injury report.

McCaffrey went on injured reserve on Sept. 14 and remained there for nearly two months before being placed on Saturday. In what McCaffrey described Friday as “tough,” he has undergone extensive rehab and treatment plans to get back on the field.

This included a trip to Germany on the weekend of September 22nd to see a specialist. Although McCaffrey declined to go into details of that trip, he said he would “do whatever it takes to get back.”

McCaffrey opened his practice window on Monday and then participated in all four of the team's practices this week without any apparent issues, opening the door for his return. He thanked Niners general manager John Lynch, Shanahan, owner Jed York and the team's medical staff for helping him prepare for his return.

“From John to Kyle to Jed and the entire training staff, the way they handled and handled everything was amazing,” McCaffrey said. “Sometimes you need people by your side who can take care of you, and maybe they know what's best for you when you try to mess up or try something that might be risky. The way they handled it and the training staff and the strength team were really happy for them.”

McCaffrey wasn't the only Niner to open his practice window this week. Offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos also began practicing again, but their returns will have to wait at least a week as San Francisco opted not to activate either of them on Saturday afternoon.