Perhaps the biggest reason the San Francisco 49ers went 6-11 and missed the NFL playoffs last year was injuries. They had to suffer through a gnarly rash of health problems from the beginning of training camp, and those problems followed the team around for months like a dark cumulonimbus cloud over the Bay Area.
Arguably the 49ers' most devastating health problem was the Achilles issue star running back Christian McCaffrey dealt with. It caused him to sit out the first eight games of 2024, and after appearing in four games, he sustained a PCL injury that ended the season for him.
McCaffrey is considered by many to be San Francisco's best and most valuable player, and needless to say, he will have to not only remain healthy but also play outstanding football for the team to return to the postseason. Fortunately, coach Kyle Shanahan said on Thursday that McCaffrey looks like McCaffrey again.
"Yeah. I think he hit like 25 (MPH) yesterday or something like that. I'm just making that up. Trying to make Christian happy. He's doing awesome. He's as fast as he's been. He's quick. He's strong. He's Christian McCaffrey."
McCaffrey has been a bit injury-prone throughout his pro career. He appeared in three games in 2020 due to ankle and shoulder injuries, and a hamstring ailment and ankle injury limited him to seven games in 2021.
But when he has been healthy, he has been arguably the NFL's best all-around running back. He became just the third player in league history to log 1,000 receiving and rushing yards in the same season back in 2019, and in 2023, he was named the Offensive Player of the Year.
That year, he led everyone with 1,459 rushing yards and 2,023 total yards from scrimmage, and he was tied for the most rushing and receiving touchdowns with 21.
McCaffrey's ability to not only catch screen passes but also line up as a makeshift wide receiver makes San Francisco's offense very unpredictable and hard to handle.
With Jordan Mason, who filled in well for McCaffrey in 2024, now a member of the Minnesota Vikings, the Niners' running back depth has taken a hit. They will be relying on second-year man Isaac Guerendo, who showed some promise last year, to provide depth behind McCaffrey and be ready to get tons of snaps should McCaffrey get injured again.
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