The San Francisco 49ers got an incredible season from running back Christian McCaffrey in 2025. He carried the offense for so much of the year and nearly had another season in which he rushed for 1,000 yards and had 1,000 yards receiving.
He is an MVP candidate, Offensive Player of the Year candidate, and Comeback Player of the Year candidate, which is remarkable after a 2024 season in which he played just four games.
However, despite all of that, the Niners still need to have an uncomfortable conversation about their Swiss Army knife in the backfield.
While McCaffrey had a great all-around year, San Francisco’s rushing attack as a team ranked near the bottom of the league. We know that head coach Kyle Shanahan likes to impose his will on opposing teams through the run game, so it was frustrating to see the Niners struggle to move the ball effectively on the ground.
That is going to have to change moving forward, and McCaffrey may not be the best running back to do that.
49ers need to start thinking beyond Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey had 1,202 rushing yards on 311 attempts, which means he averaged less than 4 yards per attempt. He also didn’t break many big runs during the regular season as he only had a handful that went for more than 20 yards.
The Niners may need more burst in their rushing attack, and with him turning age 30 next season, he may not be the guy to give the team burst going forward.
That doesn't mean the Niners should move on from him or limit what he does offensively, but that does mean they should focus on speed when it comes to a backup. Perhaps rookie Jordan James showed enough in practice and a brief appearance in San Francisco final playoff game to get a real shot at being No. 2 on the depth chart next season, but if not, the 49ers should draft or sign a backup or two with some wheels to see if they can unlock something in the rushing attack.
Shanahan acknowledged the need to get quicker on offense next season, so he knows it’s a deficiency.
McCaffrey is still an incredibly dynamic player who does so much as a running back, but his lack of burst and speed at this stage of his career is why the Niners need to go out and get that speed and make it a point of emphasis in the offseason.