McCaffrey Remains the Heartbeat of the 49ers: Shanahan Confident in Young RB’s Ability to Contribute to…
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has faced significant setbacks this season. After missing the first eight games due to Achilles tendinitis, McCaffrey returned to start four games, only to be sidelined again with a PCL injury.
While rookie Isaac Guerendo is set to take over as the featured back, McCaffrey’s presence continues to make a meaningful impact, particularly on the younger players in the running back room. His career accomplishments command respect.
“People come in, and they know Christian because he’s been an [NFL Offensive Player of the Year], and being on so many commercials, and just being Christian McCaffrey,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on Bay Area radio station KNBR. “They know him, and who knows what they’re opinion of him is before they meet him?
“But the coolest thing about Christian is when people get around him, and you get to really see why [he’s so great]. Christian will talk to anyone. He’ll lead by talking if you need it. But he’s the best ‘leader by example’ that there is [with] how committed he is to everything, how hard he works.”
McCaffrey struggled to regain his form after his initial return but appeared poised for a breakout performance against the Buffalo Bills before suffering his latest setback.
“Our whole team knew how ready he was for that Buffalo game,” Shanahan shared. “You could just see what he did in practice, what he did in walkthrough, just over there in Buffalo on Saturday. His attention to detail in every little thing in the meetings, to his routes, to the runs, to the protections.
“He comes to work every day like he’s the last guy on the roster, scared to get cut. And when you know he’s such a big-time player, and you see the standard that he kind of works at, it’s the best thing you can have [as] a coach because how can a rookie come in and know how great he is, and not feel like he needs to work the same?”
