The level of concern regarding Christian McCaffrey's health is growing by the day, but it could be nothing more than practice report paranoia.
The running back did not participate in Friday's practice and received a questionable designation for the 49ers' season opener in Seattle due to a calf ailment that McCaffrey confirmed arose Thursday.
McCaffrey, who popped up on the injury report Thursday and was listed as limited, told reporters Friday he "feels great" and plans to play Sunday, explaining his absence was nothing more than him being cautious.
"Nothing serious, I'll tell you that," the running back said Friday. "Like I said, I feel great about where I'm at. Unfortunately when you have the injury history that I have, sometimes when you don't practice, things get blown out of proportion. But like I said, I feel great."
McCaffrey was far more talkative than his head coach, Kyle Shanahan, who initially confirmed McCaffrey was dinged up Thursday prior to McCaffrey talking to reporters at his locker. That revelation was about all Shanahan was interested in offering Friday.
"Questionable concern," Shanahan said when asked to quantify his worry regarding McCaffrey. "I'm not going to say anything about Christian, guys."
Shanahan is understandably being cagey with details related to his best offensive player's health. San Francisco has once again been ravaged by injuries at a number of positions (receiver especially) during training camp and preseason preparation, leading it to add Brian Robinson late in the preseason simply because the club didn't like its depth at running back.
Now, the 49ers might have to lean on a back who has only participated in a few practices with his new team, a relatively nightmarish scenario when considering how valuable McCaffrey is to the team's offensive outlook.
McCaffrey's calf issue first appeared on Thursday's practice report, on which he appeared as a limited participant. His lack of participation Friday — plus his documented history of issues in the calf region — suggested he might be headed toward the same status he occupied in Week 1 of last season as a surprise inactive. He went on to miss 13 games last year.
He did his best to alleviate those concerns Friday.
"I felt like it was the smart thing to do to not finish the practice because I've been there before and I've been my own worst enemy in situations like that," McCaffrey explained. I was proud of myself for not doing that again."
When he's healthy, McCaffrey is an elite three-down back capable of carrying an offense. He's also a notoriously dedicated worker — sometimes to his own physical detriment — so his decision to exit practice indicates growth.
By Sunday, that might be what all this ruckus boils down to. But if he encounters a hurdle, the 49ers will have to be prepared to lean on Robinson and second-year back Isaac Guerendo.
"He's trying to learn it all," Shanahan said of Robinson. "I mean, he's working his tail off doing it, studying, but he's been through three practices, so it's definitely not there yet. It'll get better throughout the year, but he's had a real good week."
The 49ers will hope their week ends with good news and an even better result Sunday.
