It's a wait-and-see situation for the San Francisco 49ers and star running back Christian McCaffrey.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey got injured during practice on Thursday and wasn't able to practice with the team at all on Friday. He was doing some work on the side during the open portion of practice.
Coach Kyle Shanahan declined to get into any details about McCaffrey other than saying he would be questionable. But McCaffrey said he plans to play Sunday at Seattle.
“Nothing serious, I’ll tell you that," McCaffrey said. "Like I said, I feel great about where I’m at. Unfortunately when you have the injury history that I have, sometimes when you don’t practice, things get blown out of proportion. But like I said, I feel great.”
McCaffrey missed almost all of training camp last season with what the team initially called a calf injury. He was expected to be ready for the start of the season, but was a late scratch for that game with what was called bilateral Achilles tendinitis.
McCaffrey went to Germany to see a specialist and missed the first eight games of the season. He returned to play four games before going down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 13.
McCaffrey was back healthy for the offseason program and looked like his old self all summer.
McCaffrey transformed San Francisco’s offence after being acquired midway through the 2022 season in a trade from Carolina. He helped the team reach the NFC title game that season and then did even more in 2023 in his first full season with the Niners.
McCaffrey won the AP Offensive Player of the Year that season after leading the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and tying for the league lead with 21 touchdowns.
McCaffrey had missed just one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game in the 2023 season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf — after missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina.
If McCaffrey can't go, the Niners will likely turn to recently acquired Brian Robinson, who joined the team last week following a trade from Washington. Robinson has been rushing to learn the offence and would likely share the rushing with Isaac Guerendo.
Garrett good to go
After a scare on Thursday, Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett was back at practice Friday.
Garrett has no injury designation, meaning he's expected to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He missed practice on Thursday due to a hip injury.
Bills kicker placed on IR
The Buffalo Bills will have a new kicker for at least the first four games of the season after placing Tyler Bass on injured reserve on Friday with a hip/groin injury.
The Bills signed 41-year-old Matt Prater to their practice roster earlier this week, and he is likely to be called up for Sunday night's opener against the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
Prater has made 407 of 487 field goals (83.6 per cent) in his NFL career.
Meanwhile, Bills veteran cornerback Tre'Davious White is listed as doubtful because of a groin injury.
Rookie Dorian Strong and returnee Ja’Marcus Ingram are the candidates to play opposite Bills CB1 Christian Benford if White can't go.
Titans' Snead to see some time
Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed is poised to play his first game for the Tennessee Titans in nearly a year in the season opener Sunday at Denver.
The Titans listed Sneed as questionable Friday with the cornerback hopeful for playing in his first game since Oct. 13, 2024, against Indianapolis.
“I think I’m headed in the right direction,” Sneed said. “Going forward, the team is taking care of me. We’re all trusting in the process and taking it day-by-day. I’m going to take a pitch count and go do what I do.”
Sneed missed the final 12 games last year dealing with a quadriceps injury that put him on injured reserve. Then he started training camp on the physically unable to perform list after having a procedure in May to clean up a troublesome knee. He was activated Aug. 20 and didn't play in the preseason.
Coach Brian Callahan confirmed that Sneed will be limited in the number of snaps the cornerback plays in his return.
“He’s done all the things required of him to be ready to roll. He’s in good shape. He’s probably not in 75 plays in altitude shape, but not many guys are, and we’ll be managing that as a team in general,” Callahan said of Sneed.
The Titans are counting heavily on the two-time Super Bowl champ to start in their secondary. They traded for him in March 2024 and gave him contract that made Sneed the NFL’s fifth-highest paid cornerback at the time.
The Titans have Darrell Baker, who filled in for Sneed last season, and Jalyn Armour-Davis as other options at cornerback. Armour-Davis was claimed off waivers last week after the NFL cut deadline.
Dolphins TE out
Dolphins tight end Darren Waller is dealing with a hip strain and will not play in Miami's season opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Waller was originally injured before practice on Wednesday — a session he missed because it was previously decided that he would avoid three-consecutive practice days — and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Waller exacerbated the injury before Thursday's practice.
“While trying to prevent a setback, he had a setback before practice," McDaniel said Friday. "What does that mean? It means he's being challenged, the most eager player to play has another challenge. I know he's up for it, but I don't think he's going to play this week, which wasn't planned. But the way I look at it is, with your first player that comes out of retirement try not to have a plan that you have no experience with.”
The Dolphins ruled him out later Friday afternoon.
Second year-running back Jaylen Wright (knee) and cornerback Ethan Bonner (Hamstring) were also ruled out Friday. Receiver Tyreek Hill (oblique/calf) and running back De'Von Achane (calf) were removed from the injury report and practiced fully after being limited earlier in the week.
Two key Broncos defenders out
The Denver Broncos have ruled out two key defensive players for their opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday: inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach.
Greenlaw has been bothered by a left quadriceps injury all offseason. After pulling up lame in a one-on-one drill July 31, he was held out of the Broncos' three pre-season games and both of their joint practices in training camp.
He missed practice this week, working on a side field instead.
Coach Sean Payton declined to discuss the injuries on Friday. Earlier this week, Payton said the Broncos were taking a conservative approach to Greenlaw's workload: “It's a long season, so most importantly, having him not only healthy early on but for the long haul is the goal.”
Greenlaw, who signed a three-year, $31.5 million free-agent contract with the Broncos this offseason after six years in San Francisco, has dealt with injuries ever since tearing his left Achilles tendon in the 2024 Super Bowl. He played just 36 snaps over two games last year with the 49ers.
Justin Strnad, who filled in last year when inside linebacker Alex Singleton suffered a season-ending knee injury, will likely get the start in place of Greenlaw alongside Singleton, a former Calgary Stampeders star. Also on the roster is undrafted rookie Karene Reid and second-year pro Levelle Bailey is on the practice squad.
Also out for the game is Broncos tight end Nate Adkins, who recently underwent ankle surgery.
— With files from the Associated Press
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