49ers hope return of injured players makes up for lack of big deadline addition

AP Pro Football Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have been aggressive at the trade deadline under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, often adding big-name players to fuel late-season runs.

The Niners took a more cautious approach this season, adding only a backup defensive tackle before Tuesday’s deadline.

“We don’t just make a huge move just because we want to,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “If we think it’s something that can help and not hurt you for the future and you’ve got to risk, you’ve got to weigh those risks every year. And a few good things have popped up that we thought were worth the risks in past years. We didn’t see anything this year. That was a huge risk, but we do feel like we helped our team with the things that we did do.”

The moves the 49ers made this week were mostly minor compared to deals in past seasons that brought in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, receiver Emmanuel Sanders, running back Christian McCaffrey and edge rusher Chase Young.

San Francisco sent a 2026 seventh-round pick to Houston for backup defensive tackle Khalil Davis, as well as adding two veterans to the practice squad in safety Tashaun Gipson and receiver Russell Gage.

The hope this season is that the internal additions of players returning from injuries for the 49ers (4-4) can provide the needed boost for a team that struggled at times before last week’s bye.

McCaffrey returned to practice on Monday after missing the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis. San Francisco also got defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos and offensive lineman Jon Feliciano back to practice from knee injuries and are hopeful that linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) and safety Talanoa Hufanga (wrist) will be back before the end of the season.

The biggest addition will be McCaffrey, who won AP Offensive Player of the Year last season and is the driving force behind San Francisco’s offensive success. Shanahan said McCaffrey will play on Sunday at Tampa Bay as long as he has no setbacks this week in practice.

“He looks good,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “We don’t want to put too much on him because we know that everybody else has to continue to get better. But having him back can only help.”

McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns as he helped lead San Francisco to the Super Bowl.

After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.

He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.

But Shanahan said he doesn’t believe the heavy workload contributed to the injury this season and won’t necessarily limit his workload when he returns.

“I don’t believe that. I don’t think he believes that,” Shanahan said. “I think things happen to a body. I think they happen in offseason, but I don’t think that really has to do with numbers. When a guy is healthy and good, they’re usually good. But we’ve got to see where his conditioning is at, how he is. I know he is conditioned as well as he can be, but how his football conditioning is and stuff. But usually, I don’t chalk up to numbers one year to affect the injury the next year.”

Ward’s absence

Cornerback Charvarius Ward remains away from the team following the death last week of his 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy, who had battled heart problems since her birth.

Shanahan said Ward is back home in Dallas and the memorial service will be on Friday. There is no timeline for when Ward will return to the team.

“We’re on his time with that,” Shanahan said. “So just whenever he is getting close to ready.”

NOTES: DL Kevin Givens (groin) and WR Chris Conley (hamstring) didn’t practice. … K Jake Moody (ankle) WR Jauan Jennings (hip), WR Deebo Samuel (rib, oblique) and P Mitch Wishnowsky (back) were all limited. … WR Malik Turner was released from the practice squad.

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