Why the 49ers are Utilizing Christian McCaffrey Heavily

Kyle Shanahan gave an answer at his press conference on Wednesday that indicates why the 49ers are utilizing Christian McCaffrey so heavily.

November 17, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Coby Bryant (8) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Christian McCaffrey has been inefficient in his three games played since dealing with Achilles tendinitis.

He doesn't look anywhere close to the player that he was last season. It's not that surprising since he's barely played due to his injuries. Some time was always going to be needed for him to get back to his 2023 form. It's why the 49ers should be rotating him with Jordan Mason.

Slowly integrating McCaffrey and gradually increasing his workload seems optimal. However, rotating the running backs is not gonna happen for the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan is set on continuing to utilize McCaffrey so heavily because he doesn't believe he's been inefficient at all.

"The speculation on Christian, I think, is a little bit unfair to him," said Shanahan on McCaffrey's performances. "Christian's playing very well, he is playing his ass off. But to think a guy who misses an entire offseason is just going to be the exact same the day he gets back would be unfair to any player in the world, I feel like.

"Guys who miss offseasons and miss training camp, usually it takes them a little bit of time at the beginning of the year to get back into how they were the year before, let alone missing half the season also on top of that. So, I think Christian's doing a hell of a job. But to just think him coming back in Week Eight with not being able to do anything for the last nine months or whatever it is, and to think he's just going to be in MVP form is a very unrealistic expectation.”

Shanahan's answer, especially towards the end, indicates why the 49ers are utilizing McCaffrey so heavily. They're trying to get him as many snaps to get him back into shape and knock the rust off. It's the same logic for players who need to develop. The more a player plays, the better they should get.

It applies the same to McCaffrey. The logic is actually sound, but playing McCaffrey so much hasn't benefitted the 49ers. He hasn't been effective outside of a few plays against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The player who has been effective is Mason.

Taking away a few carries from McCaffrey and giving them to Mason is the best of both worlds. The 49ers get a better offense since they are running a player in form, while they continue to get McCaffrey up to speed. Besides, the running game wasn't an issue for the 49ers before McCaffrey's return.

What they need from McCaffrey is his receiving ability. Get him out in space and try to make lesser defenders miss so he can break some large runs off. He has a better chance of doing that as a receiver than he does as a runner at this point.

Alas, the 49ers will not do that. Hopefully, the heavy utilization of McCaffrey will pay off soon because it is limiting their offense so far.