The San Francisco 49ers are gearing up for their NFL 2026 season opener against NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Sep. 10.
The 49ers concluded training camp and have played two of their three preseason games.
They narrowly lost 19-13 to the Tennessee Titans in their preseason opener. The 49ers mainly played their backups against the Titans’ starters.
San Francisco then dominated the Los Angeles Chargers 41-17 on Thursday. QB Brock Purdy started the opening drive for the 49ers.
The SF 49ers received a massive update to one of their star players on Sunday.
RB Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice
RB Christian McCaffrey was in uniform and returned to the team’s practice on Sunday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reported.
McCaffrey was sidelined for the last three weeks due to tightness.
TE George Kittle also suited up for practice after the 49ers announced that they activated their 7-time Pro Bowler from the Physically Unable to Perform List earlier on Sunday.
While Kittle’s activation does not guarantee that he will play Week 1, it is a step in the right direction.
Nonetheless, both the return of McCaffrey and Kittle are huge for the 49ers’ offense. They have only one more preseason game before their regular-season opener.
San Francisco will face the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 27, before they travel to Australia.
GettyINGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 20: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers in a preseason game at SoFi Stadium on August 20, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Clears the Air Regarding Christian McCaffrey’s Injury
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan commented on McCaffrey’s injury earlier this week.
Shanahan stated that McCaffrey would have practiced on Tuesday if it were not a joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Aug. 18.
Schefter also wrote via X: “49ers have no reason to believe that McCaffrey’s missed practice is contract-related.”
Some believed that McCaffrey’s absences from practice could be a hold-in after other star RBs like Lions‘ Jahmyr Gibbs and Falcons’ Bijan Robinson received massive contract extensions.
“Bijan Robinson gets a big contract. A couple of days later, Jahmyr Gibbs gets a big contract. A couple of days later Christian McCaffrey
Mike Florio of ProFootball Talk said on Aug. 17: “Bijan Robinson gets a big contract. A couple of days later, Jahmyr Gibbs gets a big contract. A couple of days later Christian McCaffrey starts missing practice due to ‘tightness’. Now he’s missed a week of practice and some are wondering whether or not his tightness, whether his absences from practice relates to a desire to get an adjustment to his contract.”
GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 19: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers runs in for a touchdown during the NFL 2025 game between Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Looking at Christian McCaffrey’s 49ers Career
McCaffrey has arguably been one of the most important positional players to Kyle Shanahan’s offense since the 49ers traded for the star RB in 2022.
In his first full season (2023) in San Francisco, McCaffrey recorded a career-high 1,459 rushing yards. He tallied 21 total touchdowns and led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance that season. He won the Offensive Player of the Year award and was third in MVP voting.
McCaffrey’s injury issues resurfaced in 2024. He played in only 4 games. The RB was shut down for the remainder of the season with bilateral knee tendinitis.
But the star RB made a full recovery last year. He played in all 17 regular-season games, recording more than 2,000 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns.
49ers Get Massive Update as Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice