SANTA CLARA — Even through the rain, things were looking up for the 49ers as star running back Christian McCaffrey returned to practice on Thursday.
The All-Pro was at the facility, but sat out of the on-field session on Wednesday after experiencing “knee irritation” from Sunday’s win at Levi’s Stadium. While media only is permitted to watch the early periods of practice on the field, McCaffrey was seen moving well, running and going through individual drills.
If the Stanford product is unable to carry a full load of carries in the club’s Week 13 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, coach Kyle Shanahan has confidence in rookies J.P. Mason, Ty-Davis Price and veteran Tevin Coleman, who is on the team’s practice squad.
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SIGN UP HERE Other notable players back on the field were defensive linemen Arik Armstead (foot/ankle) and Charles Omenihu (knee) who were seen going through position drills. Offensive lineman Spencer Burford (ankle) also was participating in the open portion of practice.
One notable absence was Deebo Samuel who suffered a quad contusion on Sunday and left the practice field early on Wednesday after warmups. The All-Pro historically has played through injuries but his presence, or lack thereof, on Friday will indicate if he is making enough progress to play on Sunday.
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Jimmy Garopppolo, who suffered a scare in Sunday’s game during an awkward tackle was a full participant in practice for the second day this week. The club hopes to continue to get healthier as the week progresses as they will need all hands on deck against the Dolphins.
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