Kyle Shanahan has been talking for years about easing the load on Christian McCaffrey, and for once, the 49ers are actually making it happen.
That wasn’t the case before the 2025 season, when Shanahan again said San Francisco needed to do a better job of giving McCaffrey a break. McCaffrey then went right back to piling up touches, finishing with the most in the NFL by a healthy margin.
But this year has looked different. Through the first stretch of the season, McCaffrey still hasn’t topped 20 touches in a game.
His closest call came in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, when he got 19. Even in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, with San Francisco running the ball well, McCaffrey was held to 11 carries and three catches. That’s a far cry from the kind of weekly punishment the 49ers leaned on him for in the past.
A big reason is rookie running back Kaelon Black, the third-round pick who drew plenty of criticism when San Francisco made the selection. So far, though, Black has looked like a real backup option. He’s been basically the same as Brian Robinson Jr. last season, which has given the 49ers a much-needed second back they can trust.
But Black isn’t the only factor. Wide receiver Mike Evans may actually be the bigger one.
He gives Brock Purdy a true No. 1 target, the kind of receiver the 49ers haven’t had on offense in a long time. Instead of leaning on McCaffrey as the easy outlet when nothing opens up downfield, Purdy now has someone he can simply throw it up to and expect a play.
Evans changes the geometry of the offense. He’s big, he creates leverage against defensive backs, and he seems to be open all the time. That kind of weapon naturally spreads the ball around and cuts down on the kind of extra work McCaffrey has often carried.
Deebo Samuel has also played a part, even if his own role has shifted. The 49ers have used him a little at running back, but after his hamstring injury, they’ll likely be without him for at least the next month. That could push Black into a larger role.
For now, though, San Francisco has done what it kept promising to do: manage McCaffrey properly. That matters, because the whole point is to have him fresh when it counts.
If the 49ers make the playoffs, they can’t afford to have him worn down by December. A workload in the 15-to-20-touch range looks like the sweet spot.
In Other News...
49ers Get A Serious Keion White Shooting Case Update
A months-long investigation into the shooting that injured 49ers defensive end Keion White has moved forward with San Francisco police announcing four arrests tied to the case. The effort, dubbed Operation D-Line, included more than 50 search warrants and involved over 250 law enforcement personnel, with drugs and firearms recovered during the operation.
For a team that has already had to navigate the on-field fallout from the incident, the developments bring the matter back into the spotlight in a more concrete way. The suspects were arrested between Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, underscoring how long the case has taken to unwind after White was injured in the shooting earlier this year. [Read more 🡒]
Why The 49ers Offense Looks Even Scarier Than Fans Realize
Through five weeks, the 49ers have looked like one of the NFLs most efficient offenses, piling up 30.8 points and 365 yards per game while keeping quarterback Brock Purdy and the rest of Kyle Shanahans group on schedule. With Mike Evans stretching defenses, George Kittle working the middle, and Christian McCaffrey and Kaelon Black adding balance in the backfield, San Francisco has paired explosiveness with the kind of rhythm that makes every drive feel threatening.
What makes the numbers even more alarming for opponents is how rarely the offense hurts itself. The 49ers are one of the leagues cleanest units, and once they get near the goal line, they finish with ruthless consistency. That combination of staying ahead of the sticks and turning scoring chances into touchdowns is a big reason Shanahans play-calling has looked so hard to solve, and it leaves little comfort for anyone trying to slow this group down. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Have An Uncomfortable Eddy Pieiro Problem Brewing
Eddy Pieiro has quietly become one of the first uneasy storylines around an otherwise undefeated 49ers start. The kicker delivered when it mattered with a 43-yard field goal recently, but the broader picture is harder to ignore: his field-goal and extra-point percentages are down from last season, and the early misses have chipped away at the sort of steady trust the 49ers hoped they were buying into.
Pieiro already has five missed kicks on the season, matching his total from all of last year, and that kind of wobble tends to draw attention fast in a place that expects to contend. The Niners are winning enough to keep the issue from becoming a crisis, but the inconsistency is real enough to linger, especially with so much of the margin in close games often coming down to one swing of the leg. [Read more 🡒]