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San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

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s the NFL offseason winds down, teams are looking ahead to the fall, with OTAs and minicamps well underway ahead of the summer break. For the San Francisco 49ers, the mission for 2025 is simple– return to the playoffs after going 6-11 in 2024. Two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, the 49ers are ready to show that their Super Bowl window is still wide open. And in order to do that, it will take everyone being healthy.

Last season, running back was a position that the 49ers experienced major health issues with. Star running back Christian McCaffrey only played in four games due to various injuries, forcing the team to test their depth. But now, McCaffrey is back and healthy– creating a major sense of optimism in San Francisco this season. But Pro Football Focus does not necessarily feel the same, giving the 49ers’ running back room a relatively lower ranking than expected.

49ers RB Room Ranking

Despite McCaffrey being the NFL’s best offensive player not even two years ago, injuries last season reminded everyone that life as a running back can be unpredictable. And even though McCaffrey himself said how good he feels heading into the season, PFF writer Dalton Wasserman ranked the 49ers running back room at No. 12 in the league– mainly due to McCaffrey’s injury history and his age (29) making it unclear if he can fully return to form.

“The 49ers are one of the hardest teams to project for this list, given Christian McCaffrey’s recent injury history,” Wasserman wrote. “Across 2022 and 2023, he was the NFL’s highest-graded running back. His injuries in 2024 limited him to just 167 snaps and a 71.3 PFF overall grade. McCaffrey is supremely talented, but he enters his age-29 season with more questions than ever. Isaac Guerendo did a decent job in spot duty last season, earning a 67.2 PFF rushing grade. The team also added fifth-round rookie Jordan James, who recorded an elite 95.7 PFF rushing grade over the past two seasons at Oregon.”

But, if McCaffrey is able to defy the odds and return to his 2022-23 self, the 49ers running back room could find itself climbing up the ranks and prove to still be one of the league’s best.

Outlook for the 49ers Running Backs

After McCaffrey, the 49ers will really need to figure out who will be able to handle a fair share of carries. While McCaffrey was out, the 49ers turned to Jordan Mason to handle the starting role– where he impressed with 789 yards on 5.2 yards per carry. However, the team traded Mason to the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, most likely leaving Guerendo as the main backup. But if McCaffrey truly is as healthy as he says, then the real problem becomes how the franchise manages his workload in order to avoid another injury from their star player.

“I feel great,” McCaffrey said after a practice on June 11. “This offseason, I spent a lot of time kind of building back a base, starting from scratch. So a lot of it was rehab, and I wanted to put myself in a position where I didn’t miss a day of OTAs, and I could practice, and play football again, and be healthy, and not miss a day. I did that, and now, we can kind of kick back up the training again. But I feel great.”

Dylan Grausz A lifelong sports fan, Dylan channels his passion for sports into being a journalist, where his primary goal is to provide readers with content that they love to read. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Dylan’s love for the Warriors, 49ers and Giants runs deep, having the ultimate dream of being a beat reporter for one of those teams. More about Dylan Grausz

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