Where the 49ers Will Benefit Most When Christian McCaffrey Returns

Having Christian McCaffrey back will boost the 49ers, especially in this one specific area.

Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) walks off the field after the game against the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

So you're saying there's a chance?

Star running back Christian McCaffrey could make his debut in Week 10 when the San Francisco 49ers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It depends how this week goes," said coach Kyle Shanahan. "He's had no setbacks, so it looks like we're on track. But we're going to, he's going to hit it hard this week while we're gone and kind of simulate some practice stuff for himself. And as long as it all goes good, hopefully we'll get him back in practice next week.”

Even if it isn't in Week 10, it seems the return of McCaffrey is near. Having him back will be a great boost to the 49ers who haven't been too consistent on offense. But where they will benefit the most when McCaffrey returns is in the red zone. The 49ers have the fifth-worst red zone offense when it comes to converting touchdowns.

Less than half of the time they are settling for field goals after they were one of the best last year. The main difference is that they had McCaffrey. That is where he can instantly impact the 49ers. Running the football hasn't been difficult in McCaffrey's absence. Jordan Mason has done a tremendous job filling in. Rookie Isaac Guerendo has been coming on of late as well.

2024 has been bleak for McCaffrey. It all started when he had a calf strain that held him out of training camp. Then, that injury became a calf strain and an Achilles issue. Eventually, it was revealed that McCaffrey was dealing with Achilles tendinitis the whole time, so the 49ers were being coy about it from the start.

McCaffrey's Achilles got so bleak that he needed to go to Germany for special treatment that he couldn't receive in the United States. The treatment seems to be paying off for him. Now, he is ramping his workload up with the hope of returning for the second half of the season.

“I think it was tough at first when we did it in training camp and then felt like he was going to be ready for Week One,” said Shanahan on ramping up McCaffrey. “And then after we decided to put him on IR I think it's been pretty easy. That's why we did decide to do that because we knew it was going to be at least a month and shut him down for a while and now build him up slowly and things have been going well. Now it's going to be nice to get him back, hopefully.”

Whatever the 49ers end up doing with McCaffrey, it needs to be treated cautiously. The last thing they want is for him to aggravate it like they did before playing the Minnesota Vikings. With McCaffrey back, the 49ers' offense will be able to find a consistent groove again, especially in the red zone.