Can the NFL’s 2023 OPOY Return to All-Pro Form?
In 2022, the 49ers added All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey in a midseason trade with the Carolina Panthers. Immediately, San Francisco sensed his major impact as they finished on a 10-game win streak to end the season. Leading into the 2023 season, McCaffrey was primed to make an even greater impact with a full season in Kyle Shanahan’s system. His presence couldn’t have been more felt in the city of San Francisco as McCaffrey had one of his best single-season performances of his career, winning Offensive Player of the Year while becoming the driving force of an NFC Champion offense. He accumulated 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground on top of his 564 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.
However, after a heartbreaking Super Bowl LVIII loss followed by a mysterious offseason process, McCaffrey entered the 2024 season with a calf injury. McCaffrey was listed out for Week One, creating a cause for concern for the 49ers’ offense. Eventually, doctors diagnosed him with bilateral achilles tendinitis, further explaining San Francisco’s reluctance to disclose the severity of his injury situation. He made his return in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, McCaffrey lacked explosiveness breaking across the line of scrimmage, averaging only four yards per carry. In Week 13 in Buffalo, he began to create some chunk plays, but suffered a PCL injury in the first half that would end his season. The injury summed up what was an underwhelming Super Bowl hangover for the 49ers.
McCaffrey will be looking to bounce back along with the rest of the team in 2025. All reports this offseason have been positive when mentioning McCaffrey displaying freshness and explosiveness in practice over the past couple of weeks. The progression McCaffrey has made to make a full return has been noticeable this offseason. However, with the injury history he has dating back to his years in Carolina, there are still real question marks on whether he can return to OPOY form for San Francisco. Shanahan made the mistake of running McCaffrey into the ground in 2023, which ultimately changed the trajectory of his 2024 campaign. Shanahan can’t afford to make the same mistake.
To limit the risk of injury and fatigue throughout next season, the 49ers shouldn’t expect the long-time workhorse running back to take the full reins of the offense once again. Jordan Mason had great production with a heavier workload, but the 49ers couldn’t retain his services. Second-year rusher Isaac Guerendo established himself as an effective player in San Francisco’s offense. Meanwhile, fourth-round rookie Jordan James should look to prove his worth as a contributor. McCaffrey is a weapon who can be effective in a variety of ways in an offense, and opponents saw how vulnerable the offense was without him on the field last season. By the start of the season, the question won’t be whether he can return to form, but whether it is worth giving him the same controls to carry the offense.
