Niners Nation
With the 49ers suffering injuries to several of their backup running backs, the health of Christian McCaffrey is of increasing importance as he looks to return to his MVP-caliber play of the 2023 season.
Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James, two candidates to take some of the load off McCaffrey are dealing with injuries, albeit not serious ones.
Meanwhile, the 49ers’ plethora of injuries at wide receiver, which could see them start the season without Jauan Jennings, Jordan Watkins and Demarcus Robinson (possible suspension) as well as Brandon Aiyuk, have only served to magnify the importance of both McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle to the passing game.
As such, McCaffrey staying healthy and avoiding a recurrence of the Achilles issues that derailed his 2024 season is crucial.
Asked about McCaffrey’s conditioning following Thursday’s joint practice season with the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Kyle Shanahan provided an emphatic assessment of where the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year is at as he looks to recapture his best.
“Yeah, I do,” Shanahan told reporters when quizzed on whether he feels McCaffrey and Kittle were ready for the season.
“I mean, you always want to keep working and stuff, but it’s such a fine line. Those guys, they’re ready, physically, when it starts, but they know they’ve got to get through camp and stuff, so their bodies can take it throughout the whole year.”
On McCaffrey specifically, Shanahan added: “He’s as fast as he’s been, as quick, as strong. So, he’s Christian McCaffrey.”
McCaffrey is as crucial to quarterback Brock Purdy as Kittle in terms of serving as a safety net in the passing game. He can consistently turn checkdowns into explosive gains and has the ability to do substantial damage when lined up in the formation. Among running backs, there is still arguably no greater mismatch in the passing game.
With their possible lack of experienced and reliable weapons at receiver and the injuries putting McCaffrey’s immediate backups behind the 8-ball, the 49ers simply cannot afford to have any conditioning worries afflicting a back who, when at his best, is still one of the elite at keeping the ground game on schedule on delivering field-flipping gains.
It’s also worth taking coach speak with at least a small grain of salt, but Shanahan’s words suggest McCaffrey should be in a position to both carry the load and compensate for the 49ers’ injuries at wideout right off the bat in 2025.
