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Christian McCaffrey running the ball against the Packers.
The San Francisco 49ers will only be as good as some of their top players during the 2025-26 season. For somebody like Christian McCaffrey, it’s unfair to say, but the season could rely on him being healthy.
When speaking to reporters at the end of April, McCaffrey admitted that he was healthy. He added that he feels great and is ready to get back to work with the 49ers.
“I’m feeling great,” McCaffrey said, per ESPN . “It’s been such a smooth process, a lot of hard work. As soon as that injury happened in Buffalo, that was my goal was to not miss a day of OTAs, be back, ready to go with nothing hindering me. And that’s where I’m at.”
Is McCaffrey on Track for a Comeback?
If the San Francisco 49ers star can stay on the field, McCaffrey will have an excellent opportunity to not only help the team win a Super Bowl but also rack up some accolades along the way.
Sports Illustrated believes that he could be the favorite to win the Comeback Player of the Year award, despite the injuries.
They added how Pro Football Focus named him the No. 1 player returning from an injury in the NFL this season, and it’s tough to argue against it after he rushed for 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023.
“When McCaffrey was healthy, the 49ers went to back-to-back NFC Championships and a Super Bowl. When he was injured, they missed the playoffs. He’s that important. He makes Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system work.
“So if he stays healthy this season, there’s a good chance he’ll win the Comeback Player of the Year Award. That’s why Pro Football Focus lists McCaffrey as the No. 1 player returning from injury in the NFL this year,” Grant Cohn wrote .
Has McCaffrey Potentially Lost a Step?
McCaffrey attempted to play a bit in 2024 after dealing with injuries. However, the San Francisco 49ers understood that he wasn’t the same player he typically is.
He rushed for just 202 yards on 50 attempts, averaging 4.0 yards per carry with zero touchdowns.
According to ESPN, Next-Gen Stats also had him at a very low sprint speed, which is something the 49ers should be somewhat concerned about.
“The four games in which McCaffrey played last season were concerning,” wrote Ben Solak . “NFL Next Gen Stats had his maximum speeds in those four games at 16.4, 16.7, 16.1 and 17.4 mph. For context, that 17.4 mph mark would have been his fifth worst in a game during the 2023 season, when he was the MVP of the 49ers’ Super Bowl-bound offense. He clearly looked less springy in 2024 than he did in 2023; in fact, he looked like a player who had a cool 417 touches in the previous season.
“It’s hard for running backs’ bodies to endure the level of use McCaffrey endured in 2023, but not impossible. We’ll know quickly if his body has bounced back for 2025 after missing time for Achilles and knee injuries in 2024.”
Even if it takes a bit for McCaffrey to ramp things up during the beginning of the season, the 49ers should ultimately be just fine.
They need to keep pace while he comes back, and if he’s ready to fully go Week 1, as healthy as he can be, that’d be even better.
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan
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