The San Francisco 49ers just completed one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. Finishing the 2024 campaign 6-11 and out of the playoffs, the team hopes to rebound next season after a successful NFL Draft in Green Bay.
One of the issues last season was injuries.
A key injury was suffered by star running back Christian McCaffrey, who missed eight games after an Achilles injury before missing another four after injuring his knee.
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak takes over the San Francisco unit from head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2025, and hopes to have a healthy McCaffrey at his disposal, and updated the health of the former Stanford Cardinal.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get him the ball as much as we can,” Kubiak said, via The Athletic. “Health is really important. He’s one of our signature players on offense.”
Kubiak and the team would like to limit McCaffrey's exposure next season while also keeping him a key part of the offense, but that's easier said than done. McCaffrey has always been a violent runner who sometimes seems to enjoy initiating contact first.
The three-time Pro Bowler has rushed for 2,407 yards on 481 carries across three seasons and 31 games with 30 starts since arriving in San Francisco from Carolina via trade after the 2021 season.
He's a three-time First-Team All-Pro, a one-time Second-Team All-Pro and the 2023 NFL rushing leader. When healthy, he's one of the most versatile backs in the NFL, but his career has been marred by injuries throughout.
McCaffrey missed 13 games in 2020, 10 games in 2021, 11 games in 2022 and 12 games last season - all due to injuries.
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