San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will miss about two weeks of practice after straining his calf.
McCaffrey hurt his calf late last week, adding that he didn’t pull a muscle, coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. McCaffrey wouldn’t play in the preseason but should be back at practice well before the start of the regular season on Sept. 9, he said.
McCaffrey has helped transform San Francisco’s offense since being acquired in a trade from Carolina midway through the 2022 season. In 27 games for the Niners, McCaffrey has rushed for 2,205 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 119 passes for 1,028 yards and 11 scores.
He led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.
The Niners are also without backup running back Elijah Mitchell, who will be sidelined about a week with a strained hamstring.
That led San Francisco to sign veteran Matt Breida to add depth to the backfield before the exhibition opener on Saturday night at Tennessee.
[RELATED: 49ers’ trade talks involving Brandon Aiyuk with Patriots, Browns heating up]
Breida spent his first three seasons in the NFL with San Francisco, rushing for 1,902 yards and six TDs in 43 games from 2017-19. Breida led San Francisco in rushing with 814 yards in 2018 and averaged 5.0 yards per carry during those three seasons.
He was traded to Miami in 2020 before spending a year in Buffalo and the past two seasons with the New York Giants.
“We had to bring Matt in, which was awesome to have Matt available,” Shanahan said. “We needed some numbers out there and to be able to get a legit player who’s had a hell of a career, who’s been here before too, felt pretty fortunate.”
San Francisco is already missing fourth-round rookie back Isaac Guerendo, who pulled his hamstring early in camp. Jordan Mason, undrafted rookie Cody Schrader and Patrick Taylor will also likely play this week.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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