TAMPA, Fla. -- On Friday, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said only "something crazy" happening on the team's flight to Tampa would prevent running back Christian McCaffrey from making his season debut Sunday.
"Crazy" did not happen, as McCaffrey made his 2024 season debut against the Buccaneers on Sunday. He returned to the 53-man roster Saturday after being on injured reserve and missing the first eight games because of bilateral Achilles tendinitis.
For McCaffrey, the chance to get back on the field comes not a moment too soon.
"Sometimes you take it for granted that you play this game for a living and it's what you do, it's what you train for, but when it's taken from you, even just for a little bit of time, it makes you really appreciate every single day you're on the grass," McCaffrey said Friday.
To make room on the roster for McCaffrey, the 49ers waived running back Patrick Taylor Jr. on Friday night. Adding McCaffrey leaves the Niners with four backs on the depth chart with Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
In other roster news, wide receiver Deebo Samuel is playing against Tampa after being limited in practices this week. Samuel (rib, oblique) had been listed as questionable on the team's injury report.
McCaffrey went on injured reserve on Sept. 14 and had remained there for nearly two months before his activation Saturday. Through a time that McCaffrey described Friday as "tough," he has gone through extensive rehab and treatment plans to get back on the field.
That included a trip to Germany the weekend of Sept. 22 to visit with a specialist. Though McCaffrey declined to get into details of that trip, he did say he would "do anything to come back."
McCaffrey opened his practice window Monday and then participated in all four of the team's sessions this week with no apparent issues, opening the door for his return. He credited Niners general manager John Lynch, Shanahan, owner Jed York and the team's medical personnel for helping him get ready to come back.
"From John to Kyle to Jed and the whole training staff, the way that they treated everything and the way that they went about it was amazing," McCaffrey said. "Sometimes you need people in your corner that can look after you and maybe they know what's best for you in times where maybe you try to suck it up or tough something out that might be risky. The way that they handled it and the training staff and the strength staff really fortunate for them."
McCaffrey wasn't the only Niner to open his practice window this week. Offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos also began practicing again, but their returns will have to wait at least another week, as San Francisco opted not to activate either of them on Saturday afternoon.