It’s a wait-and-see situation for the San Francisco 49ers and star running back Christian McCaffrey.
The 49ers listed McCaffrey as questionable on Friday for Sunday’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. He did not practise on Friday.
McCaffrey was added to the team’s injury report with a calf injury on Thursday when he was limited in practice.
He had no disclosed health issues for all of training camp following an injury-plagued 2024 season.
Brian Robinson Jr. is San Francisco’s No. 2 running back.
McCaffrey missed almost all of training camp last season with what the team initially called a calf injury. He was expected to be ready for the start of the season, but was a late scratch for that game with bilateral Achilles tendinitis.
McCaffrey then went to Germany to see a specialist and missed the first eight games of the season. He returned to play four games before going down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 13 in Buffalo.
McCaffrey transformed San Francisco’s offence after being acquired midway through the 2022 season in a trade from Carolina. He helped the team reach the NFC title game that season and then did even more in 2023 in his first full season with the Niners.
McCaffrey won the AP Offensive Player of the Year that season after leading the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and tying for the league lead with 21 touchdowns.
He had missed just one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game in the 2023 season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf — after missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina.
After a scare on Thursday, Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett was back at practice Friday.
Garrett has no injury designation, meaning he’s expected to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He missed practice on Thursday due to a hip injury.
Bills kicker placed on IR
The Buffalo Bills will have a new kicker for at least the first four games of the season after placing Tyler Bass on injured reserve on Friday with a hip/groin injury.
The Bills signed 41-year-old Matt Prater to their practice roster earlier this week, and he is likely to be called up for Sunday night’s opener against the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
Prater has made 407 of 487 field goals (83.6 per cent) in his NFL career.
Meanwhile, Bills veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White is listed as doubtful because of a groin injury.
Rookie Dorian Strong and returnee Ja’Marcus Ingram are the candidates to play opposite Bills CB1 Christian Benford if White can’t go.
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