SANTA CLARA — If the 49ers needed Christian McCaffrey, they might have taken him with the No. 3 draft choose in 2017. As an alternative, they took his Stanford classmate, Solomon Thomas.
Nicely, they 49ers acquired a mulligan.
McCaffrey is coming to the 49ers by way of a commerce with the Carolina Panthers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported Thursday evening, nicely forward of the NFL’s Nov. 1 commerce deadline approaches. A league supply confirmed the commerce.
In return, the 49ers will hand over 4 draft picks, none of that are of the first-round selection, partially as a result of their 2023 first-round choose was included in final 12 months’s bundle to Miami to maneuver up for Trey Lance. Dealt to Carolina are three picks subsequent 12 months (second, third and fourth rounds) and a fifth-rounder in 2024, NFL Community reported.
At 9:22 p.m., the 49ers introduced by way of Twitter that they’ve agreed to commerce for McCaffrey, pending a bodily, including: “Welcome again to The Bay!”
This 49ers’ regime of coach Kyle Shanahan and normal supervisor John Lynch has traditionally made trade-deadline offers, and now they’ve made one with somebody they’ve recognized all 26 years of his life.
Earlier than McCaffrey got here to Levi’s Stadium as a 2017 rookie, he recalled how Shanahan could have been his babysitter of their Colorado days, when Ed McCaffrey (Christian’s dad) performed for the Broncos from 1995-2003 below Mike Shanahan (Kyle’s dad). Shanahan famous again in 2017 that McCaffrey’s dad, Ed, “was the person” and was why Shanahan used to put on No. 87 in faculty. Talking of faculty, Lynch went to Stanford and performed with Ed McCaffrey.
Requested earlier Thursday if the 49ers would enter the commerce market, Lynch advised KNBR 680-AM: “As a result of we had a really full roster, the most effective commerce we will make proper now are with the inactive record or IR record, simply to get our guys again.”
Lynch then talked about the doubtless returns of defensive finish Nick Bosa and left deal with Trent Williams, quite than single out Elijah Mitchell, their season-opening operating again who’s been out since Week 1 with a sprained knee. Mitchell is predicted to overlook two extra video games then return after the bye.
Listed here are some execs and cons to contemplate of McCaffrey coming again to the Bay Space and becoming a member of the 49ers (3-3) forward of Sunday’s recreation towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (4-2).
INJURY HISTORY
McCaffrey, 26, has seen his profession derailed in latest seasons by accidents , to not point out the actual fact he's on one of many NFL’s worst franchises. He missed 23 of 33 video games within the 2020-21 seasons due to shoulder, hamstring, thigh and ankle accidents.
The 49ers, with their run-oriented offense, yearly have seen their operating backs get damage, to the purpose it’s turn out to be a disturbing routine they depend on 5 a season. So, including an injury-plagued operating again to the combination doesn’t sound like good enterprise.
However McCaffrey has been wholesome this season. His group, nevertheless, has been so unwell that it fired its coach after the 49ers beat the Panthers two Sundays in the past.
The 49ers have been with out Mitchell since his season-opening knee sprain. The 49ers are in any other case virtually again as much as full well being of their operating again corps. Fill-in starter Jeff Wilson Jr. is beloved — not less than he was earlier than final Sunday’s first-quarter fumble in Atlanta — and nonetheless awaiting their true NFL shot are rookies Ty Davis-Value and Jordan Mason. Tevin Coleman has responded with hot-then-cold appearances as Wilson’s backup.
Whereas McCaffrey joins that blend, will probably be fascinating to see if the 49ers additionally line him up within the backfield with “extensive again” Deebo Samuel, whose dual-threat skills keyed the 49ers’ playoff push final season.
McCAFFREY’S STYLE
Again in 2017, McCaffrey appeared like a really perfect, multi-purpose risk for an offense that maximizes such dual-threat skills, comparable to Samuel (receiving/speeding), George Kittle (receiving/blocking) and, up till a Week 2 ankle fracture, Trey Lance (receiving/speeding).
McCaffrey has virtually as many profession speeding yards (3,980) as receiving yards (3,292). The 49ers’ offense, which is averaging simply 20.3 factors per recreation, wants that further output. Their speeding assault, the basis of their offense, ranks simply twelfth at 124 yards per recreation.
Even this season, with Baker Mayfield struggling because the Panthers’ newest quarterback, McCaffrey has been the go-to man. He has 393 speeding yards (85 carries, two touchdowns) and 277 receiving yards (33 catches, one landing).
His 4.6 yards-per-carry common is his finest since his 2019 All-Professional season, when he ran for 1,387 yards (15 touchdowns) and totaled 1,005 receiving yards (4 touchdowns).
In three seasons at Stanford (2014-16), he ran for 3,922 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he had 99 receptions for 1,206 yards and 10 touchdowns. He gained the Related Press’ Participant of the Yr honors and was the Heisman Trophy runner-up behind Derrick Henry in 2015, when “CMC” ran for two,019 yards, had 645 receiving yards and accounted for 15 touchdowns, together with two on his passes and two on returns.
49ERS’ OTHER NEEDS
When the 49ers have pulled the set off on a mid-season commerce, they’ve addressed wanted depth: quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017, extensive receiver Emmanuel Sanders (2019), and defensive ends Jordan Willis (2020) and Charles Omenihu (2021).
Sparking their offense is a necessity, to enhance Samuel, Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Kyle Juszczyk, and, sure, Garoppolo. That offensive not solely is getting McCaffrey, however left deal with Trent Williams expects to return this Sunday from a high-ankle sprain that figured to maintain him out one other two video games.
Among the many first 49ers to chime in on Thursday’s commerce: Kittle, who tweeted to McCaffrey: “Let’s goooooo”
Let’s gooooooo @CMC_22https://t.co/bkReZuwZdv
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) October 21, 2022
The protection might use a lift, too, earlier than the commerce deadline. Invoice Walsh’s notion of by no means having sufficient defensive linemen is proving legitimate, because the 49ers miss defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw. With Nick Bosa lacking the previous 1 1/2 video games due to a groin subject, that isn’t reassuring, both.
The 49ers’ secondary misplaced cornerback Emmanuel Moseley to a season-ending knee damage, and whereas they could get Jason Verrett again or flip to youthful choices from latest drafts, that place additionally isn't too deep. Security is once more a priority, what with Talanoa Hufanga within the concussion protocol and Jimmie Ward having to play with a solid on his left hand.
Welcome to the colours @CMC_22. I do know you’re constructed for it@87ed
— Eric Davis (@_ericdavis_) October 21, 2022
Financially, the 49ers have a much bigger determination to make after this season by way of McCaffrey. Positive, he could possibly be an affordable rental at a prorated $990,000 base wage. Giving up 4 draft picks is a steep worth for not less than an 11-game tenure, nevertheless. McCaffrey’s contract then can have three remaining years, at an annual wage of about $12 million. A restructured contract can clear up future points or present cap constraints, too.
The 49ers covet draft picks and have insisted for years on how they may construct themselves right into a perennial contender. After seeing the Rams usher in main gamers final season en path to the Lombardi Trophy, and contemplating the Rams might have used McCaffrey for this season’s title protection, the 49ers parted with 4 draft picks to carry McCaffrey to a regime that's actually protected for an additional season, and now maybe for much longer.
#Panters RB Christian McCaffrey on #49ers coach Kyle Shanahan: We go means again to once I was little. I feel he babysat me some instances.
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 6, 2017
INSTANT IMPACT
McCaffrey is predicted to reach at 49ers headquarters on Friday, and though the 49ers waited a month earlier than inserting Garoppolo to complete up the 2017 season, McCaffrey might have a way more sudden impression.
“It’s going to be attention-grabbing how Kyle Shanahan fudges the formations,” former 49ers and Stanford cornerback Richard Sherman stated on Amazon Prime’s postgame present Thursday evening. “Everyone’s like, ‘They’re simply going to place (McCaffrey) at operating again and let him go.’ No, they’re not. They’re going to maintain Jeff Wilson Jr. on the sector, put (McCaffrey) at receiver and create matchup issues. Theyr’e going to get the numbers they need within the field.
“It’s going to be enjoyable. It’s going to be like artwork on the market,” Sherman added. “Christian McCaffrey, again within the Bay Space, Stanford product. Go Cardinal.”
Michael Robinson, one other former 49ers, stated on the NFL Community: “If they'll put the ball in Christian McCaffrey’s fingers early on this recreation, usually on this recreation and particularly across the aim line and rating touchdowns, that's the way you steal a win from the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.”
Former NFL operating again Maurice Jones-Drew, additionally a Bay Space product, known as McCaffrey an ideal match for the skin zone-running type embedded in Shanahan’s system. “Christian McCaffrey places his foot within the floor, he can get skinny, he has nice imaginative and prescient,” Jones-Drew stated on NFL Community. “He comes right into a scenario that may be a nice match. Possibly he’s the lacking piece to the puzzle.”