San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey reached his No. 1 goal of the offseason on Day 1 of the team's offseason workout program.
After having his 2024 campaign cut short by leg injuries, the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year reported to Tuesday's voluntary workouts restriction-free.
"It's been such a smooth process, a lot of hard work," McCaffrey told reporters. "As soon as that injury happened in Buffalo, this was my goal, to not miss a day of OTAs, to come back, ready to go with nothing hindering me. That's where I'm at."
McCaffrey was only able to suit up for a total of four games last season. He started the year on the Injured Reserve list after battling with Achilles injuries, pushing back his season debut until Week 10. A month or so later, he suffered a PCL injury during the 49ers snowy meeting with the Buffalo Bills. At that point, San Francisco opted to sit McCaffrey for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
The nine‑year pro said it didn't take long into the offseason before he finally felt like himself again.
"It went by pretty quickly," McCaffrey noted. "I don't remember the exact date, but I got to a point pretty early in the offseason where I was training full-speed, ready to go."
Now, less than five months post-injury, McCaffrey is set to be a full participant in the team's offseason workouts. And, he was part of a large contingency of 49ers players who reported for Phase 1 which is a voluntary portion of program.
"It was such a good turnout. It was great energy on the field, in the weight room, and in meetings," McCaffrey said. "Hopefully, we can continue that. It's definitely exciting, and you get a lot of first day juice."
