San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan tapped the brake pedal on Christian McCaffrey playing Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Shanahan said Friday morning on KNBR following Thursday night’s blockbuster trade that he’s unsure whether the dynamic back will be on the field Sunday.
“I’m still up in the air whether we’re going to be able to get him here for Sunday or not,” Shanahan said, via 49ers Web Zone. “I know for sure he’ll be here the following Sunday. But that’s kind of why I’m in a wait-and-see approach right now.”
Added Shanahan: “I’m not sure at all [about Sunday]. This happened so fast, and we’ve just got to see where he’s at.”
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that the initial expectation is that McCaffrey would play but have a limited role, likely relegated to red-zone action.
Shanahan said his first thought after the trade was giddiness over getting the dual-threat running back on the field, but noted CMC wouldn’t be on the practice field Friday as he flies in to take a physical.
“It was more a big smile and then like, ‘All right, I’ve got to go back and redo third downs, redo red zone, redo everything,'” Shanahan said. “And then it was like, ‘Wait a second. He’s still got to come and pass the physical. He’s not going to be at practice.'”
Despite Shanahan tossing cold water on McCaffrey’s immediate availability in a showdown with the Chiefs, we’d think the former Panther could get up to speed quick enough to be involved on some level. Beyond Week 7, CMC should be fully immersed in the offense.