SANTA CLARA — Christian McCaffrey was officially listed as questionable Friday, but there’s not much question he’ll be on be back on the field for the 49ers after the resumption of their bye week.
Assuming nothing dramatic happens on the charter flight from San Jose to Tampa, the NFL’s 2023 Offensive Player of the Year will make his debut on the road for the 49ers (4-4) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5).
Coach Kyle Shanahan hinted as much on his radio spot Thursday on KNBR-680, with the caveat that three be no setbacks, and it was no different the following day as the 49ers were packing up for a team flight after the resumption of their bye week.
“We’ll take him off I.R. tomorrow and he should be good to go,” Shanahan said. “He had a good week.”
McCaffrey and other key players were present during the 49ers’ brief practice viewing window.
Also listed as questionable for the 49ers were wide receivers Deebo Samuel (oblique, rib) and Jauan Jennings (hip), defensive end Nick Bosa (hip) and safety Malik Mustapha (calf).
Wide receiver Chris Conley (hamstring) and defensive lineman Kevin Givens (groin) were listed as out.
The 49ers will remove McCaffrey from injured reserve, where he’s been since Week 2 with Achilles tendinitis, and place him on the 53-man roster Saturday. That will necessitate the 49ers releasing a player from the roster.
Left to be determined is whether McCaffrey will start, and even more important how much he’ll play after having not been in a game since last Feb. 11 and a 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
In McCaffrey’s absence, the 49ers are averaging 159.0 yards per game — fourth in the NFL and 25.1 yards per game more than a year ago through eight games. McCaffrey had 137 carries and 652 yards rushing through those games en route to an NFL-high 1,459, with Mason having 134 carries and 685 yards in eight games this season.
The big difference is in the scoring touchdowns and in the red zone. McCaffrey had 13 touchdowns (9 rushing, 4 receiving) in the first eight games, 11 of those coming in the red zone. He also had 32 catches for 292 yards, while four 49ers running backs — Kyle Juszczyk (11), Mason (10), Isaac Guerendo (4) and Patrick Taylor Jr. (1) have combined for 26 catches over the same span.
Through eight games this season without McCaffrey, the 49ers are ranked 28th in scoring touchdowns in the red zone (16 of 33) at 48.4 percent. A year ago through eight games with McCaffrey in the lineup, the 49ers were at 65.6 percent (21 of 32) en route to a league-leading 68 percent.
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KEEPING VEA AT BAY
Tampa Bay nose tackle Vita Vea is listed at 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds. Jake Brendel, who has experience dealing with the former Milpitas High star, is skeptical.
“It’s always a challenge when you play a guy that’s approaching 400 pounds,” the 49ers’ center said Thursday.
Vea is a challenge for a 49ers’ offensive line that depends on agility, angles and leverage rather than a brute force under the instruction of run game coordinator/line coach Chris Foerster. And Vea, in his sixth season after being a first-round draft pick out of Washington, is rare in that he does more than plug gaps with bulk and power.
When Vea was at Milpitas and a mere 280 pounds, he was a two-way player who also gained 578 yards and scored 11 touchdowns as a senior, averaging 12.3 yards per carry.
Forester recalls seeing Vea with his teammates showing off his rare athleticism.
“What’s that game where they kick the bag around? Hacky sack,” Foerster said. “He looks like a middle schooler playing hacky sack. He’s 350 pounds, kicking it in the air. It’s unbelievable how good he is. Very agile for such a big, gigantic man.”
Vea is coming off a 10-tackle, two-sack game Monday night against Kansas City. The Buccaneers don’t put him exclusively over center, although he’ll likely spend most of his snaps there. Brendel, right guard Dominick Puni and left guard Aaron Banks will all be challenged.
Brendel said the only player who compares in terms of size is Giants’ All-Pro Dexter Lawrence, listed at 6-4, 350.
“He’s definitely fast-twitch for how big he is,” Brendel said. “The guys to the left and right do a great job playing behind him and he’s really good in their scheme.”
As for the challenge of actually tackling Vea as a high school player, Brendel said, “All I would do is If was on defense was try to take the wheels off the bus. I mean, still that’s a lot of meat carrying the ball.”
