Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers is set to make his season debut against the Bucs

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After watching Christian McCaffrey during the most grueling practice of the week for the San Francisco 49ers, coach Kyle Shanahan said he saw enough to believe the star running back will make his season debut on Sunday.

Speaking to KNBR Radio in San Francisco on Thursday, Shanahan said McCaffrey performed well enough in practice this week to return against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“He’s been great the last two days,” Shanahan said. “You never know if there’s going to be a setback or something, but these two days have been great and I expect to see him out there.”

McCaffrey has been on injured reserve since Sept. 14 with bilateral Achilles tendonitis, which followed a calf injury that began bothering him in early August. McCaffrey traveled to Germany to meet with a specialist while the 49ers were in Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sept. 22.

Before last week's bye, Shanahan said McCaffrey would remain at the team facility and conduct simulated training activities leading up to his return to practice. There were no setbacks as a result, which led to the practice window opening on Monday.

McCaffrey attended the team's “bonus” practice that day and has since participated in a limited capacity in Wednesday and Thursday practices. But Thursday training was always considered the most important; It's the only padded session of the week and the longest.

Now all that stands between McCaffrey and his season debut on Sunday is a lighter Friday practice, which is little more than a walkabout, and then a cross-country flight to Tampa, Fla., on Friday evening. If there are no problems there, the Niners would then activate McCaffrey from injured reserve on Saturday.

In order to make room for him in the squad, they need to make a corresponding move to clear a spot.

Shanahan and the Niners have spent much of the past few weeks hinting at McCaffrey's possible return this week as he continued the rehab that kept him out of the team's first eight games.

According to coaches and teammates, McCaffrey's return to practice has given the 4-4 Niners a significant boost.

“It was great,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “Exactly what he brings to the table and really fires up everyone else. We all come out of the bye week feeling good and fresh, and then there are 2-3 next to us in the backfield, which was great. Looks great.” It's moving and it's trending in the right direction. So we're excited to see what happens.

Assuming McCaffrey plays against Tampa Bay, it remains to be seen whether he can keep up with his usual workload. When healthy, McCaffrey is the team's primary defender and collected a career-high 417 touches (including playoffs) on his way to winning the league's Offensive Player of the Year award in 2023.

Jordan Mason, who filled in for McCaffrey and ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards per game, has depth but was also limited in practice Thursday because of a lingering shoulder injury. Rookie Isaac Guerendo and veteran Patrick Taylor Jr. are the other defensemen on the 53-man roster.

Despite those options, Shanahan has indicated that McCaffrey's workload will depend on how he feels as the game approaches, noting Wednesday that he doesn't believe McCaffrey's injuries are the result of overuse in previous seasons.

“I think things happen to a body,” Shanahan said. “I think they happen in the offseason, but I don’t think it really has anything to do with numbers. When a man is healthy and good, they are usually good. But we have to see how good his conditioning is. “I know he’s as conditioned as he can be, but how good his football conditioning is and stuff. But I don't usually expect numbers one year to impact injury the next year.

If all goes according to plan, Shanahan also pointed out to KNBR that two other key Niners – receivers Jauan Jennings (hip) and Deebo Samuel (rib, oblique) – will also play against the Bucs.