The 49ers produced the performance that brought about the end of the Matt Rhule era for the Carolina Panthers just over a week ago, now there’s talk they could be one of the beneficiaries of the in-season changes for that beleaguered franchise.
San Francisco routed Carolina 37-15 in Week 5 in what proved to be Rhule’s last game as the Panthers’ head coach. With the Panthers clearly pondering which players are likely to be an integral part of their plans going forward, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported they are listening to trade offers for star running back Christian McCaffrey.
Following that report, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports wrote that the 49ers, Broncos, Rams and Bills are among the teams to have shown interest in acquiring McCaffrey.
Trading for McCaffrey, which may well involve parting with multiple draft picks, would see the 49ers invest more capital into a position where they have already spent significant resources. The Niners used a third-round pick on Tyrion Davis-Price this year and released last year’s third-round selection, Trey Sermon, before the season.
San Francisco boasts significant talent in the backfield, with Jeff Wilson Jr. playing well in the absence of the injured Elijah Mitchell and Tevin Coleman scoring two touchdowns against Carolina after being activated from the practice squad. Davis-Price returned from an ankle sprain in Week 6 while undrafted free agent Jordan Mason impressed in preseason.
The Niners also have the changeup of putting Deebo Samuel at running back, a switch that produced remarkable results last season, but they do not have a back who possesses McCaffrey’s skill set as runner and a pass-catcher.
And the motivation to acquire him may be higher after the 49er running game fell flat in their surprise Week 6 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons, in which San Francisco managed just 50 yards on the ground.
Trading for McCaffrey would give the 49ers a still explosive back who can create yardage for himself more consistently than the likes of Wilson and Coleman and put stress on defenses with what he can do underneath as a receiver.
McCaffrey ranks ninth in Football Outsiders DYAR metric, which measures total value, among running backs on carries this season. He is fifth in the same metric for his position on receiving plays.
No running back in the NFL has averaged more receiving yards per game than McCaffrey’s 51.4 since he entered the league in 2017. Alvin Kamara is the sole back to rack up more overall receiving yards during that period, putting up 3,398 to McCaffrey’s 3,292, but has played 77 games to McCaffrey’s 64.
In addition to giving the 49ers a skill set they do not have at running back, McCaffrey would also further solidify San Francisco’s depth in the backfield, giving further protection against more injuries at the position, with Mitchell not due to return until after the Week 9 bye.
San Francisco’s rushing game has not performed efficiently this season. The 49ers are 25th in Football Outsiders DVOA, a measure of per play value, in rushing offense and rank in the same lowly position in Expected Points Added per rush, per rbsdm.com.
McCaffrey is the kind of talent who can greatly improve San Francisco’s output on the ground and also significantly increase the 49ers’ threat out of two-running back personnel packages in a scenario where they acquire him and put the former Stanford star on the field at the same time as a healthy Mitchell.
Shanahan may be tempted to lean more heavily on Samuel as a runner in the wake of a disappointing showing on the ground against Atlanta. Trading for McCaffrey would lessen the need for San Francisco to do so and allow the 49ers to focus on maximizing what Samuel can do as a traditional wide receiver.
The cost for San Francisco is unlikely to be cheap, and spending significant capital on a non-premium position can be tough to justify. Yet the case for McCaffrey is an easier one to make.
He would make the 49ers a deeper and more efficient offense and has an affordable base salary of $1.035 million for the 2022 season.
Striking a deal would be a clear signal the 49ers believe they have a team that can threaten to go to the Super Bowl despite their up and down start to the season. With the talent they have on both sides of the ball and the dominant manner in which their banged-up defense had performed prior to the letdown in Atlanta, there is significant evidence to suggest that, when the Niners are healthy, that assessment is correct.
A trade for McCaffrey would be an all-in move for the 49ers. In a season where the Philadelphia Eagles are the only obvious NFC frontrunner, the timing may be right for the Niners to increase their chances of coming out of a wide-open conference by making a push for a player who could get them firing on all cylinders on the ground and take the pressure off Jimmy Garoppolo.
It must come at the right price, but a deal with Carolina to land McCaffrey could be just what the 49er offense needs to help San Francisco emerge as an undoubted NFC contender.
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