TAMPA, Fla. — On Friday, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said only “something crazy” that occurred on the team’s flight to Tampa Bay would hinder the running back. Christian McCaffrey From making his debut on Sunday.

That apparently didn’t come to pass, as the Niners reinstated McCaffrey to the 53-man roster official on Saturday, activating him from injured reserve after he missed the first eight games with bilateral Achilles tendinitis.

The chances of getting back on the field for McCaffrey are not immediate.

“Sometimes you assume you play this game for a living and that’s what you do, that’s what you train for, but when it’s taken away from you, even for a short period of time, it makes you really appreciate each play,” McCaffrey said Friday, “that’s the day you’re on the grass.”

49ers give up running back to make room for McCaffrey Patrick Taylor Jr.. Friday night. The addition of McCaffrey leaves the Niners with four backs on the depth chart. Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 14 and remained there for almost two months before being activated Saturday. McCaffrey went through extensive rehab and treatment plans to get back on the field, during what he described as a “tough” Friday.

This included a visit to Germany accompanied by an expert on the weekend of September 22. While McCaffrey declined to go into details of that trip, he said he would “do anything to go back.”

McCaffrey opened his training window on Monday and then attended all four of the team’s sessions this week without any problems, opening the door to his return. He thanked Niners general manager John Lynch, coach Kyle Shanahan, owner Jed York and the team’s medical staff for helping him prepare to return.

“From John to Kyle to Jed and the entire training staff, the way they approached everything and the way they did it was amazing,” McCaffrey said. “Sometimes you need people in your corner who can take care of you and maybe they know what’s best for you and maybe you try to suck it up or push something that could be risky. The way they’ve handled that and the training staff and the strong staff is really lucky for them.”

McCaffrey wasn’t the only Niner to open the practice window this week. Offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and defender Yetur Gross-Matos They too are back up and running, but their return will have to wait at least another week as San Francisco opted not to activate either as of Saturday afternoon.