49ers trade for Christian McCaffrey, who wins or loses in a big way?

49ers winner: Deebo Samuel

On the surface, it might not seem as if “wide back” Deebo Samuel wins in this situation. After all, Christian McCaffrey is going to cut into Samuel’s touches, both as a pass-catcher and as a rusher. And with numerous run-based incentives worked into Samuel’s extension he signed earlier the last offseason, it’s likely those efforts and stats will take a serious hit.

That’s the short-term prognosis, though.

The cold, hard reality of the situation is exposing Samuel to more rushing touches will inevitably shorten his career, particularly those where he’s being asked to split in between the tackles against bigger-bodied defenders.

Sure, Kyle Shanahan isn’t going to completely shy away from deploying Samuel as a running back, and McCaffrey’s presence should, at least in theory, open up the playbook to an even greater extent.

But, in terms of prolonging Samuel’s career and allowing him to stay healthy, having McCaffrey certainly does create a winning situation for the Niners’ top offensive weapon.