Few NFL offensive players, if any, are better when healthy than Christian McCaffrey. But staying healthy has been an issue for the All-Pro running back over the last five years or so.
The former Stanford Cardinal star, traded from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers, missed half of the season in 2021 and most of the season in 2024. McCaffrey was healthy last year, totaling 1,202 rushing yards and 924 receiving yards.
However, as he heads into the 2026 NFL regular season, he appears to be dealing with another injury situation.
McCaffrey's status remains a concern.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.
As the 2026 NFL preseason gets underway, McCaffrey has not been practicing. It's unclear when he'll be back on the field.
According to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group, McCaffrey wasn’t practicing again on Sunday.
The NFL world remains concerned
NFL fans and media members are worried if this is something more serious for McCaffrey.
"In 2025, McCaffrey led the league with 413 regular-season touches in 17 games. At 30, McCaffrey is already pushing the age envelope for tailbacks. He has had 2,284 regular season touches in nine NFL seasons," Pro Football Talk shared.
"For now, the 49ers may simply be protecting McCaffrey from himself. At some point, it will be fair to wonder whether it’s something more than proactive maintenance. Especially since the same scenario played out in 2024."
Hopefully, it's nothing too serious for McCaffrey, but given his injury history - and the 49ers' injury history - it's fair to worry about him heading into the start of the 2026 regular season.
