San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has shifted his stance on the possibility of placing running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, which would sideline him for at least four games.
When asked about the option on Tuesday, Shanahan dismissed it, saying, "No, I've never considered that. I was considering him to play [on Monday night], so definitely not thinking about four weeks off."
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McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis and a calf strain, the latter being the lesser of the two issues. These injuries kept him out of most of training camp and the entire preseason.
On Friday, after the 49ers officially ruled him out for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, Shanahan was again questioned about the injured reserve possibility.
"It's something we're considering now," Shanahan said. "Yeah, yesterday was his worst day. It's on and off, but with yesterday having the most pain, it's something we're going to be discussing here the next 24 hours."
General manager John Lynch echoed this concern during a radio interview on Friday morning.
"If that's the right thing, it's what we'll do," Lynch said. "We'll consult. We'll, first of all, see how he's doing today after getting a good work session in yesterday, see how he responds. And then, all options now, as Kyle has said, are on the table."
Lynch added, "But primary in our mind is the long view. Christian is such an elite player. He changes us. He makes us different. But also, it's nice to see that we can function without him. We can function at a really high level."
If McCaffrey is placed on injured reserve, he would be able to return in Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks. In McCaffrey's absence, running back Jordan Mason rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets on Monday night.
