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ArticleChristian McCaffrey is still not practicing
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McCaffrey first missed practice on Monday, with his absence generally (and vaguely) attributed to 'tightness.' Nearly a week later, he's still not practicing. When the current string of DNPs started, coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed the situation. Which brings back memories of two years ago, when McCaffrey's calf injury was downplayed throughout camp — and when he surprisingly appeared on the inactive list for the first game of the regular season and ultimately didn't play until Week 10 due to an Achilles injury.
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Negative signalInjury

McCaffrey's week-long practice absence mirrors 2023 injury downplay pattern.

McCaffrey missed practice on Monday with vagueness attributed to 'tightness' and remained out of practice through Sunday, echoing a 2023 pattern when his calf injury was downplayed before he appeared on the inactive list for Week 1 and didn't play until Week 10 due to an Achilles injury. At 30 years old with 2,284 regular-season touches across nine NFL seasons and 413 touches in 2025 alone, the 49ers may be protecting him from overuse, but the recurring scenario raises concerns about whether this is proactive maintenance or something more serious.

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