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49ers running back Christian McCaffrey first missed practice on Monday, with his absence generally (and vaguely) attributed to “tightness.” Nearly a week later, he’s still not practicing. Via Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group, McCaffrey wasn’t practicing again on Sunday. When the current string of DNPs started, coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed the situation. Which brings back memories of two years ago, when McCaffrey’s calf injury was downplayed throughout camp — and when he surprisingly appeared on the inactive list for the first game of the regular season and ultimately didn’t play until Week 10 due to an Achilles injury. In 2025, McCaffrey led the league with 413 regular-season touches in 17 games. At 30, McCaffrey is already pushing the age envelope for tailbacks. He has had 2,284 regular season touches in nine NFL seasons. For now, the 49ers may simply be protecting McCaffrey from himself. At some point, it will be fair to wonder whether it’s something more than proactive maintenance. Especially since the same scenario played out in 2024.