Total Pro Sports
If San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey likes using doubters as motivation, he needs to look no further than the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
After winning the rushing title and Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023, a string of injuries limited Christian McCaffrey to just four games in 2024. The 49ers’ offense suffered mightily without McCaffrey, going from the third-best scoring offense in 2023 (28.9 points per game) down to 13th (22.9).
After coming within one play of a Super Bowl 58 championship, the 49ers limped to a 6-11 record and last-place finish in the NFC West. Obviously, a bounce-back year largely depends on the health of Run CMC.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler spoke to multiple NFL coaches, executives and scouts for their rankings of the top 10 running backs heading into the 2025 season. Surprisingly, Christian McCaffrey was only ranked fifth.
Here’s what one executive said on McCaffrey:
“He’s a great player, but he’s always had durability issues, even in college. He’s an elite trainer and takes great care of himself. He’s just not a big body and will lose a step eventually.”
The four running backs ranked ahead of Christian McCaffrey (in order from one to four) were Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens, Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions and Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons.
Indeed, durability has been an issue for McCaffrey since 2020. He played 10 total games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, stayed healthy over the next two years then missed all but four games in 2024.
It’s no coincidence that the 49ers have played in two NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl with a healthy McCaffrey. His presence makes all the difference in the world, and the 49ers need him to stay healthy if they’re to make another run at the Super Bowl.
McCaffrey and the 49ers will look to make a statement early when they visit the archrival Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in the season opener on Sept. 7. The clubs split the season series last year, with both teams winning on the road.
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