The biggest offensive concern for the San Francisco 49ers isn’t the left guard spot, and it isn’t how Brock Purdy handles another year with better weapons around him.
It’s Christian McCaffrey’s health.
That’s the issue hovering over everything else. McCaffrey somehow played every game for the 49ers last season, and after the kind of workload he carried in 2025, the idea that he gets through another full year feels far less likely. The source material makes the point bluntly: history says that when he’s been used as a workhorse, the next season tends to bring missed time.
At 30 years old, the expectation is that he’ll miss games. Even if the 49ers try to manage him more carefully this year, the odds still lean toward him sitting out several games rather than repeating last season’s perfect attendance.
And when that happens, the drop-off is obvious.
McCaffrey is still the centerpiece of the run game, and the 49ers would be leaning on Jordan James and rookie Kaelon Black if he’s unavailable. That’s not a like-for-like replacement. The ground game might stay afloat, but it won’t be the same force without him.
The bigger issue is what McCaffrey does as a receiver. His value goes well beyond carries.
Defenders have to account for him every snap because of the threat he brings out of the backfield, and that changes how the offense functions. James and Black may be able to handle rushing duties, but they do not bring that same receiving danger.
The source notes that Jordan Mason was able to do it in 2024 on the ground, but there’s no similar confidence in James or Black as pass-catching threats. That’s where McCaffrey’s absence would really show up. Without him, the 49ers lose a weapon that forces defenses to react before the ball is even thrown.
The 49ers did add Mike Evans to help, but McCaffrey remains vital to keeping the offense from getting boxed in. If he somehow stays healthy all season, that would be a major surprise. But the expectation inside and outside the building appears to be that the 49ers are preparing for the reality that he won’t.
That’s why this stands as the offense’s biggest worry. Not the unknown at left guard.
Not Purdy’s next step. McCaffrey’s availability is the thing that could shape the entire unit.
The 49ers will be hoping any missed time is brief, or that the backups can hold the line if it isn’t.
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For some, the opening is obvious. Cowing can help himself on special teams even before he proves more as a receiver, while Height is the kind of edge presence the 49ers have been searching for in the right situation. Rourke is trying to stand out in a quarterback room that already has established names, and Prysock has a chance to make life interesting in the secondary. James, meanwhile, is in the middle of a backfield race that could be decided by who looks most ready when camp starts sorting out the pecking order. [Read more 🡒]