Christian McCaffrey was the engine of the 49ers offense in 2023. After winning Offensive Player of the Year, McCaffrey was rewarded with a new contract for his impact on the offense. Unfortunately, an Achilles injury shelved the Stanford running back for several weeks. After his return, McCaffrey’s season was over after suffering a PCL injury in Buffalo.
The 49ers rushing attack is still the focal point for Kyle Shanahan’s offense, but the backfield depth was tested after injury after injury. In a way, the 49ers’ backfield injuries were a perfect symbol for the 49ers’ season—lots of glimpses of greatness, but not consistently due to unfortunate injuries.