TAMPA, Fla. – On Friday, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said only “something crazy” that would happen during the team’s flight to Tampa would keep running back Christian McCaffrey from making his season debut on Sunday.

That apparently didn’t happen, as the Niners made McCaffrey’s return to the official 53-man roster Saturday. They activated him from injured reserve after he sat out the first eight games due to bilateral Achilles tendonitis and, as a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday, will make his season debut in 2024 against the Buccaneers.

For McCaffrey, the chance to get back on the field comes not a moment too soon.

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

To make room on the roster for McCaffrey, the 49ers waived running back Patrick Taylor Jr. on Friday night. Adding McCaffrey gives the Niners four backs on the depth chart, along with Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

In other roster news, wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to play against Tampa after being limited in practice this week, a source told ESPN. Samuel (rib, oblique) was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.

McCaffrey went to injured reserve on September 14 and stayed there for almost two months before being activated on Saturday. During a time that McCaffrey described as “tough” on Friday, he went through extensive rehabilitation and treatment plans to get back on the field.

This included a trip to Germany on the weekend of September 22 to visit a specialist. While McCaffrey declined to go into details about that trip, he did say he would “do whatever it takes to come back.”

McCaffrey opened his practice window on Monday and then participated in all four of the team’s sessions this week without apparent problems, opening the door for his return. He credited Niners general manager John Lynch, Shanahan, owner Jed York and the team’s medical staff for helping him prepare for his return.

“From John to Kyle to Jed and the whole training staff, the way they handled everything and the way they went about it was great,” McCaffrey said. “Sometimes you need people in your corner who can take care of you and maybe they know what’s best for you in times when you might be trying to suck it up or try something that could be risky. The way they handled it and the training staff and strength staff is really lucky for them.”

McCaffrey wasn’t the only Niner to open his practice window this week. Offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos also returned to practice, but their returns will have to wait at least another week as San Francisco opted not to activate either on Saturday afternoon.