Niners Plan to Protect McCaffrey, Seek Backup

0:00On March 31st, the San Francisco 49ers are prioritizing ways to ease the load on star-running back Christian McCaffrey after he led the league, with 413 touches last regular season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan made that clear at the NFL owner's meetings, stressing the need for backup help now that McCaffrey's turning 30 soon. Last year they brought in veteran Brian Robinson, who got about 100 touches over 17 games. Rookies like Isaac Garando stuck mostly to special teams, and 5th round pick Jordan James barely saw action, with just one carry in the playoffs. Shanahan knows McCaffrey's value goes beyond carries. He draws coverage like a top receiver even without the ball, boosting the whole passing game. But that makes it tough to pull him off the field without hurting the offense. The team faces two main pass, tweaked the scheme to rely less on him as a decoy, or draft a versatile back to share the rock. With their early pick spot in other roster holes though, a big splash in the backfield looks

1:01unlikely. Bottom line? Shanahan's locked in on protecting the Caffrey long term to keep the Niners running strong all season, even to finding the right fit won. Come easy. You've been listening to NFL News today, AI-powered football coverage.