The San Francisco 49ers’ elite running back, Christian McCaffrey, had another dominant 2023 campaign, leading the league in rushing yards, touches, yards from scrimmage, and total touchdowns. He recorded 1,459 rushing yards on 272 carries and 14 touchdowns and had 339 touches for 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns. His efforts earned him his third Pro Bowl, second All-Pro, and won Offensive Player of the Year.
McCaffrey also led running backs in snaps by playing 81% of offensive snaps. Given his age, injury history, and recent contract extension he signed at the beginning of June, it would be wise for his workload to decrease moving forward.
Their head coach also agrees with that idea.
The San Francisco 49ers want to decrease their elite running backs workload
“We have guys that can run the ball,” Shanahan said, via The Athletic’s David Lombardi. “We have to protect Christian from himself. He doesn’t like to ever come out no matter what the situation is and I do think that’s something we could protect him with more… [I]f 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.”
The 49ers have three candidates who could have their role increased.
Candidate #1
The first candidate is Elijah Mitchell. Mitchell enters his fourth season and hasn’t been the same player since his excellent rookie performance. He has battled injuries, which caused him to miss 18 of 34 regular season games in the last two seasons.
His role has also diminished in the past seasons. He dropped from representing 64% of snaps as a rookie to 24% in his second season and to 23% in his third season.
Candidate #2
The second candidate is Jordan Mason. Mason enters his third season and has been a reliable back but underutilized, representing 8% of snaps in 2022 and 9% in 2023.
Candidate #3
The third candidate is Isaac Guerendo. Guerendo, the 49ers fourth-round pick, enters his rookie season after spending last season with the Louisville Cardinals and rose in the draft boards because of his athleticism.
His speed and athleticism may allow him to get some playing time in 2024.
