SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Given his status as a veteran and one of the team's best players, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was always unlikely to play much, if at all, in the preseason.
If there was a chance for that, however, it no longer exists. McCaffrey did not participate in practice Tuesday after missing the team portion of drills Sunday because of a strained calf.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey is likely to miss a couple weeks of practice and is all but certain to miss the team's three exhibition games. «He did it a couple days ago,» Shanahan said. «It's all right.
He didn't pull it or anything, but you guys probably won't see him this preseason.» A two-week timeline would give McCaffrey, the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year, plenty of time to return to practice before the Sept.