Christian McCaffrey, the All-Pro running back for the San Francisco 49ers, was the best offensive player in the NFL last
season.
The 2023 Offensive Player of the Year, a nominee for league MVP, was the focal point of a stellar Niners attack, leading the
league in run yards (1,459), total touches (339), net touchdowns (21) and all-purpose yards (2,023).
That is exceptional and above and above.
San Francisco acquired the Stanford product in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft via trade from the Carolina Panthers in
2022. Although he was already the highest-paid running back in the NFL, he received a significant salary raise this
offseason. Although a new contract first seems exorbitant, the 49ers obviously consider him as an all-encompassing tool. not
merely a hasty one.
Christian McCaffrey will statistically regress in 2024
The kind of numbers McCaffrey put up in the previous season are less of a constant expectation and more of a “once in a
lifetime” kind of season. Indeed, when McCaffrey joined the NFL’s exclusive 1,000/1,000 club (1,000 yards rushing and
1,000 yards receiving) in 2019, he accomplished something akin to this.
However, it is unrealistic to expect him to perform at such a high level in consecutive years.
Despite having a history of injuries, McCaffrey was largely healthy during the previous campaign. With this gamble, the
Niners took a chance, and it paid off.
It doesn’t seem like that will be the case in 2024, though.
Head coach Kyle said, “We have to protect Christian from himself.”
This offseason, Shanahan told The Athletic earlier. “I do believe there is something we could do more to safeguard him
because he never wants to go outside, no matter what the circumstances. It is somewhat different in the pass game when you
pose such a threat.
“But if he’s just taking the wear and tear with 20 carries and stuff every game — and he’s definitely good enough to do that
and he has proved he can stay healthy — but you’d like to take some of that off of him and give it to other guys also.”
To help McCaffrey, San Francisco already has Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason on the team. In April of last year, the team
also selected Isaac Guerendo, another running back. This season, Shanahan will probably limit McCaffrey’s touches,
particularly if the 49ers are up comfortably. The team’s best offensive weapon overall will be protected from harm and kept
fresh in the hopes of making a lengthy postseason run.
That’s a worthwhile goal for the Niners to pursue.
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