The San Francisco 49ers saw a significant uptick in their offensive output last season when making a major trade for running back Christian McCaffrey after starting the year 3-3, which ultimately helped propel their year back into one of success, with the team winning its last ten games en route to a division title and the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
McCaffrey immediately stepped in as a major contributor, changing the outlook of the passing game, as quarterbacks now had a trusty checkdown option, while presenting the 49ers with some much-needed efficiency in the run game, which is why I dubbed him as the team's offensive MVP, despite playing just half a season with San Francisco.
Now, heading into Year 2, McCaffrey is fully implemented into the 49ers' offense and looks extremely fresh coming out of training camp, potentially en route for one of his best career years yet.
What should the running back's workload be this season?
Projecting the NFL's statistic leaders in 2023, NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund brought up McCaffrey in an interesting, yet unexpected category: total touches.
Over the season, Frelund projects 395 total touches for McCaffrey, which is equivalent to over 23 per game, a significant mark for any player, let alone the 49ers' running back.
"Last season, Christian McCaffrey exhibited his fastest burst (speed reached in first 3 yards traveled once the ball is snapped) since his 2017 rookie campaign, per computer vision," Frelund wrote.
"I always look for surprises in this category, and first-year running back Bijan Robinson ranks high on this list. He warrants way-too-early Offensive Rookie of the Year consideration -- if you want to look beyond the always-popular quarterback narratives."
McCaffrey is certainly a surprise on this list for two reasons: 1) the number of talented skill-position players on the 49ers that will require ample volume, and 2) the team's desire to keep him fresh for the playoffs, which may mean sacrificing regular-season touches in favor of his positional counterparts.
Now, could the running back achieve 395 touches? Potentially, but with Brandon Aiyuk likely expecting a larger target share in 2023 and Deebo Samuel looking for a bounce-back year, as well as the 49ers' abundance of high-end depth at running back, averaging over 23 touches per game seems a tad bit high.
Last season, in 10 starts with the 49ers, McCaffrey had 151 carries for 708 rushing yards, as well as 50 catches for 440 yards on 63 targets, totaling out to 214 total touches, or 21.4 touches per game.
Now, while McCaffrey is fully integrated, I'd expect more of a timeshare at running back, where at times, he took a significant portion of the workload, given the 49ers' depth at the position, although his receiving workload should remain similar, especially if Brock Purdy remains the quarterback for the entire season.
Nonetheless, it'll be another important season for McCaffrey in 2023, where he'll be integral to the 49ers' success, and the primary goal is to maintain his health through 17 games in order to make a strong playoff push.
