Christian McCaffrey’s return, for so long craved by the San Francisco 49ers offense in an up-and-down year, is on the horizon.
The 49ers are expecting to open McCaffrey’s practice window next week with a view to him making his season debut in the Week 10 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
McCaffrey’s return may not be a cure-all for a 49er offense that has had issues beating man coverage and has struggled markedly in the red zone compared to last season. The 49ers ranked first in red zone touchdown efficiency last season, through eight games this year they are a lowly 27th.
But the prevailing wisdom is that his restoration to the lineup and the impact he can have as a receiver out of the backfield and lined up in the formation will enable the 49ers to do a better job of taking advantage of man coverage and force defenses to lean more on zone coverages, which San Francisco does an excellent job of consistently exploiting.
Yet McCaffrey, after missing the entire season to this point with Achilles tendinitis, may not be ready for a full workload right off the bat, and the 49ers have seen two running backs step up in his absence in terms of rushing production.
Jordan Mason, though recently bothered by an AC joint sprain, is third in the NFL in rushing with 685 yards, while rookie fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo has delivered critical contributions in recent primetime wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.
As such, the 49ers are in a strong position to be able to manage McCaffrey, but 49ers legend Steve Young believes the attack could benefit from putting the reigning Offensive Player of the Year on the field in packages that feature multiple tailbacks.
Young told KNBR: “I think because of their flexibility and who they are, you could put all three of them on the field at once. I think it’s that kind of possibility to put defenses in a position where they have something that’s going to threaten them.
“Right now, one thing that Brandon Ayuk did, and I told you this when he was trying to get signed, he gets open quick and he’s got a deep threat. He’s going to pull the top off and so there’s fear about what he can do. In the NFL, you better have fear in their system or their [defenses] predatory. They just keep creeping and creeping.
“So we’ve lost that and we don’t have that. Now, George [Kittle] has his own way to get open. Deebo [Samuel] has his own unique ways to get open, but not that. So how do we create fear? And I think we create fear with more incredibly talented people to do things that are unusual against linebackers, against safeties, out of position.
“And that’s what they can do with formation and putting those guys on the field. So I’m like, all three of them at once, probably not. But Guerendo and CMC on the field at the same time with Deebo and George, I think there’s threats that can be created. So I like what we’re getting with the backfield and I think it’d be helpful, not just running the football, but actually threatening in the pass game.”
The 49ers have previously gone to ‘pony’ personnel with two running backs on the field at the same time with McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell. Given Samuel’s versatility as a runner and a receiver, it seems more likely the 49ers would put both him and McCaffrey in the backfield at the same time, assuming the wideout shakes off several injury issues over the course of the bye. However, there is merit to the idea of combining the threat of McCaffrey’s receiving ability with the home-run speed of Guerendo.
With how much the 49ers rely on 21 personnel looks with fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the chances of groupings with two true running backs in the backfield becoming a staple part of the offense are probably slim.
But, without McCaffrey, the 49ers have had become more reliant on their dropback passing game while losing some of the unpredictability that has previously made the offense so difficult to defend. Young’s proposal for how the 49ers could make the most of their deep backfield is a little unconventional, but it speaks to the uncertainty San Francisco will have more capacity to generate with their best offensive player back in the mix.
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