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Nick WagonerDec 13, 2025, 04:37 PM ET
- Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga.
The San Francisco 49ers added running back Christian McCaffrey to the injury report on Saturday, making him questionable for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans with a back issue.
Despite the questionable designation, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that McCaffrey is expected to be "good to go" against Tennessee.
As the Niners returned from their bye this week, McCaffrey said he was "rested and recovered" on Wednesday, taking his usual veteran's rest that day. He then was limited in practice on Thursday with an illness but was a full participant in Friday's practice, which is more of a walk-through.
"I know he wasn't feeling well, but he looked good today," coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday.
That seems to indicate the back issue flared up either after Friday's practice or sometime Saturday. McCaffrey has not missed a game this season after he was limited to just four contests in 2024 because of Achilles and knee injuries.
If McCaffrey were unable to go, Brian Robinson would step into the starting running back role with Isaac Guerendo and rookie Jordan James available as potential backups. Guerendo has been limited to special teams only, taking zero offensive snaps, and James has yet to be active in a game this season.
"Brian to me, like his last seven games have probably been his best game seven times in a row," Shanahan said Friday when asked why James has yet to be active. "I think he just keeps getting better. I've been real pumped with [James] in practice, and it would be awesome to get four guys up, but you're only using really two on offense. So, it's got to make sense with the rest of the roster."
McCaffrey has, of course, been the focal point of San Francisco's offense and a big reason the team sits at 9-4 this season. He's third in the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,655), fourth in total touchdowns (14) and is on pace to become the first player in league history with more than 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in a season multiple times.
