49ers GM John Lynch doesn’t exactly ease concerns about Christian McCaffrey’s health

The San Francisco 49ers cruised past the New York Jets in their season opener on Monday. Their running back had 147 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. However, that running back is not who most people were expecting to see. 

Jordan Mason, the third-year back out of Georgia Tech, was tasked with replacing superstar running back Christina McCaffery in prime time. 

The 49ers had kept the status of McCaffery on the down-low all week and ultimately decided to make him inactive before kickoff on Monday night with what was identified as a calf injury. Now as San Francisco prepares for their next game against the Minnesota Vikings, things may not be any better, in fact, it may be worse. 

John Lynch on CMC

Dating back to his time with the Carolina Panthers, Christian McCaffrey has constantly battled injuries. When he is fully healthy, he is one of the biggest threats in the National Football League so it can be challenging to manage his workload since he is such a weapon in both the running and passing game. 

Now his injury is being described as an Achilles issue and is raising questions about his availability moving forward. The good news for 49er fans is that Jordan Mason appears capable of holding down the fort until CMC returns. The bad news is that McCaffery could be sidelined for a bit according to San Francisco GM John Lynch. When Lynch was asked if Christian McCaffery would be placed on the IR, he was quite truthful. 

“If that’s the right thing, it’s what we’ll do. First of all we’ll see how he’s doing today after a good session yesterday. All options, as Kyle has said are on the table. We’ll do what’s right for Christian and what’s right for our team,” the GM said. 

If McCaffery does in fact find himself on the IR, the San Francisco 49ers may have to adjust their offensive gameplans until they can return the 3X Pro Bowl selection.