SEATTLE — Christian McCaffrey insisted Thursday’s calf issue was “nothing serious,” and the 49ers agree to the point they’ll play him in today’s season opener at Seattle.
Brian Robinson Jr. and Isaac Guerendo are McCaffrey’s backups. Rookie Jordan James’s finger injury placed him on the pregame inactive list.
McCaffrey came out of the 49ers’ locker room two hours before kickoff and did leg-activation exercises for some 30 minutes. He was then greeted by former Carolina Panthers teammate, Greg Olsen, who is working as a Fox Sports analyst for this game.
He left Thursday’s team drills because of a calf issue, and after conditioning on the side in Friday’s walk-through, he insisted his calf was “nothing serious.” A year ago, however, a calf strain evolved into bilateral Achilles tendinitis and kept him out for the first eight games.
“I feel great about where I’m at,” McCaffrey said Friday at his locker. “Unfortunately, when you have an injury history that I have, you know, sometimes when you don’t practice, things get blown out of proportion, but like I said, I feel great.”
And he feels he must seize whatever openings the Seahawks’ defense offers.
“It starts with taking care of the ball, and just as runners, if there is a lane, you have to hit it. They flow to the ball really well, all 11 guys do,” McCaffrey said. “It’s about maximizing the opportunities when they come, take what they give you.”
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McCaffrey played only four games last season before a posterior cruciate ligament tear kept him out the final five games. He ran for over 100 yards in each of his past two trips to Seattle, rushing for three touchdowns combined in those 2022 and ’23 victories.
MARTIN INACTIVE
Rookie linebacker Nick Martin, a third-round draft pick, is inactive, as are James, wide receiver Jordan Watkins, defensive end Robert Beal Jr., defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson, and offensive linemen Austen Pleasants and Drew Moss.
With Martin down, the linebacker corps features Fred Warner, Dee Winters, Luke Gifford, Tatum Bethune and Curtis Robinson, the latter of whom was activated Saturday off the practice squad for his special-teams contributions.
SAFETY DEBUT
Marques Sigle, a fifth-round draft pick, will become the first 49ers’ rookie safety to start an opener since Eric Reid in 2013, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco first reported. Sigle started all three preseason games, alternating as a tandem with incumbent Ji’Ayir Brown and newcomer Jason Pinnock.
YGM FAST-TRACKED
Defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos is active despite barely practicing, essentially participating in limited sessions Monday and Thursday after coming off the Physically Unable to Perform list Aug. 26.
SEAHAWKS INACTIVES
Ruled out for the Seahawks: wide receivers Jake Bobo and Dareke Young; tight end Nick Kallerup; and, linebackers Uchenna Nwosu, Jared Ivey and Connor O’Toole.