SANTA CLARA — The 49ers welcomed Christian McCaffrey back to the practice field on Monday, and Trent Williams was elated for his teammate’s return.
“Such an amazing feeling to see that 23 out there doing his extensive warm-up,” Williams said. “Those million high knees he does before practice, great seeing.”
Williams has dealt with his own injuries in the past and understands how challenging it can be for a player to be kept away from playing. The All-Pro left tackle felt the energy that McCaffrey’s presence brought to the short, bonus practice session.
“Me, myself I was energized,” Williams said. “It was a very short practice. We only had one team period but I was energized and I and super super happy for him that it turned the corner and he’s able to go out and do what he loves again.”
McCaffrey was seen doing his usual warm-up on the field and is scheduled to speak to the media later in the week. The star running back could help elevate the offense in the second half of the season, helping keep their playoff hopes alive.
“Offensive Player of the Year,” Williams said. “Really you could probably put him in any offense and it’s going to make them better. Obviously our offense is kind of tailor-made to him and some of his strengths, so definitely going to be a tremendous lift for us.”
Williams shared that while it’s been difficult to be without McCaffrey on the field, there has been a bright side to both McCaffrey being sidelined as well as Elijah Mitchell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in training camp.
Jordan Mason leads the team with 134 carries for 685 yards and three touchdowns as well as 10 receptions for an additional 86 yards through the air. Rookie Isaac Guerendo also has been a contributor with 37 carries for 227 yards, the second-most on the team.
“We wouldn’t have heard about Guerendo, and the excellence of Mason if Christian was healthy,” Williams said. “So there’s a silver lining in some of that stuff. Now we know that even without having Elijah, we still have a super deep backfield and improving.”
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year could give coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense the jolt it needs to head into the second half of the season with just a little more potential for success. The left tackle also shared that linebacker Dre Greenlaw was on the field during the bonus practice session.
Greenlaw suffered a ruptured Achilles early in the 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and the linebacker could return within a few weeks if there are no setbacks.
“Even had a glimpse of Greenlaw out there sprinting around with a helmet on,” Williams said. “Both of them, just seeing that, got our juices going.”
The 49ers will take Tuesday off before returning on Wednesday to start preparations for their trip to Florida to face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.
