ESPN: 49ers to Sit Christian McCaffrey More Than Panthers Did to Avoid Overloading RB

Even though Christian McCaffrey was the driving force behind the San Francisco 49ers offense down the stretch last season, head coach Kyle Shanahan is going to be careful not to overwork the star running back.

Per ESPN's Dan Graziano, the 49ers intend to take McCaffrey off the field more frequently than the Carolina Panthers did "because they know McCaffrey's injury history and want to avoid overloading him."

Splitting time between the Panthers and 49ers last season, McCaffrey appeared in every game for the first time since 2019. He was able to be on the field for 23 offensive snaps in San Francisco's Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, despite being traded to the team three days before the game.

There was a noticeable difference in McCaffrey's snap count from his six games with the Panthers to his 11 games with the 49ers. He was on the field for at least 81 percent of the offensive snaps in every game with Carolina.

In 11 games with the 49ers, McCaffrey hit that mark only four times. He was on the field between 63 to 75 percent of the offensive snaps five times.

Despite how he was being managed, McCaffrey was playing at an extremely high level. The two-time Pro Bowler averaged 110 scrimmage yards per game and scored 10 total touchdowns with the 49ers.

San Francisco has a good ground game and depth at running back to get by when McCaffrey isn't on the field. Elijah Mitchell has been a productive player when he's healthy. He ran for 963 yards as a rookie in 2021 and averaged 6.2 yards per attempt last season.

Tyrion Davis-Price is the bigger, change-of-pace runner in the backfield. He can be used in short yardage and some goal-line situations, especially if McCaffrey lines up on the wide receiver to give defenses a different look.

Jordan Mason showed promise in a supporting role as a rookie with 6.0 yards per carry on 43 attempts.

But McCaffrey is going to be the bellwether for this San Francisco offense in 2023. Even with a group of skill players that includes Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, McCaffrey is likely going to be the focal point of the team.