The timeline surrounding Christian McCaffrey’s rehabilitation from his Achilles tendinitis injury remains vague from training camp to the start of the 2024 NFL regular season.
While he initially appeared to be ready for Week 1, the 49ers placed their star running back on IR, with his return reportedly set for November.
That unstable timeline has been frustrating for believers. But former San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman, who has struggled with several Achilles and calf injuries throughout his career, explained on Monday why fans should remain calm as they await McCaffrey’s recovery.
“Niner Faithful, patience is a virtue,” he said on the latest episode of “The Richard Sherman Podcast.” “Don’t sit here and tense up wondering when Christian will come back. Be patient. I assure you he’s not trying to exploit you.”
Sherman not only has ties to McCaffrey’s physical ailments, but also has a similar background to the Stanford product. So if fans are going to listen to someone outside of the 49ers organization, Sherman is probably a good start.
“An Achilles injury is one of those touch-and-go injuries,” Sherman continued. “I’m speaking from experience. I ruptured my Achilles tendon and developed Achilles tendonitis in my other ankle.”
In discussing the possibility of rehabilitating his Achilles tendon injury, Sherman pointed out that McCaffrey cannot simply receive injections to relieve pain.
“That’s one of the things you need to know,” Sherman elaborated. “Everybody’s like, ‘Hey, why can’t I shoot?'” You can’t inject cortisone into your Achilles tendon…it weakens it and it ruptures. ”
Because of his personal experience, the five-time All-Pro agrees with the 49ers’ cautious approach to McCaffrey, who already has a significant injury history.
“It’s not worth it. They’re playing it as accurately as they can,” Sherman explained. “They’re taking their time and allowing him to get the treatment he deserves because…no matter how tough you want to be, you have to be tougher than your brain. , because you have to send a signal to your brain that you’re okay…
“Everyone’s different. So when you hear from experts, ‘Oh, he might come back here,’ or ‘He won’t come back until he’s here,’ they don’t know, because Because who knows… You might wake up tomorrow and feel great and be able to sprint again. And the next day, you might feel great and be able to sprint again. And you may wake up on the third day and barely be able to walk.
“That’s how crazy this injury and flare-up is.”
This back-and-forth pattern described by Mr. Sherman certainly fits with what has been reported around Mr. McCaffrey in recent weeks. So this won’t be easy for 49ers fans to hear, but as Sherman warns, they’ll have to be patient.
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