Richard Sherman Confident Christian McCaffrey Will Play Significant Role in 49ers’ Return Against Buccaneers

Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman has expressed optimism that San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey will return to the field this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to Sherman, who discussed McCaffrey’s status on his podcast, the running back feels ready to play after missing the first eight games of the season due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis[1][3].

Sherman shared that McCaffrey told him he could have played in the previous week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys but was held out by the 49ers to be overly cautious. “He feels really good, and he felt like he could have probably played last week, but they wanted to be overly cautious and just give him more weeks of practice and more time to work that thing out to feel comfortable, and feel confident, and he does,” Sherman stated[1][3].

McCaffrey has been practicing without issues for three consecutive sessions since returning to the practice field on Monday, which is a promising indicator for his return. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan also sounded optimistic about McCaffrey’s anticipated debut, noting that the team will remain cautious to avoid any setbacks with his Achilles[1][3].

Sherman emphasized that McCaffrey is likely to play a significant role in the game against the Buccaneers. “All signs point to him playing, and likely playing a significant role in this game,” Sherman said. This return could be crucial for the 49ers, who are currently at a 4-4 record and are looking to build momentum for a playoff push in the second half of the season[1][3][4]).