Kyle Shanahan: Christian McCaffrey doesn’t like coming out, we could protect him more

Christian McCaffrey won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award by handling more touches than any player in the league, so the running back provided the 49ers with both quality and quantity on the field.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has hinted that they would like to cut down on quantity a bit while trying to maintain quality during the 2024 season. When speaking to reporters about the team’s offseason workouts this month, Shanahan said the team thinks it has enough depth to give other players a run for McCaffrey in points this season.

“We have guys who can run the ball,” Shanahan said, via TheAthletic.com. “We have to protect Christian from himself. He doesn’t like to come out of the closet no matter what the situation is and I think that’s something we could protect him more about. When you’re a threat in the passing game, it’s a little different. . . . But if he’s just putting up with the wear and tear with 20 carries and stuff every game – and he’s definitely good enough to do that and has proven he can stay healthy – but you’d like to take some of that away from him and give it to other guys too .

Elijah Mitchell had 75 carries last season and Jordan Mason ran the ball 40 times, but the 49ers could end up looking at 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo as a change of pace if he performs well in the preseason. They could also choose not to break what didn’t need fixing last season and continue with McCaffrey as the main force in their offense.