49ers HC Kyle Shanahan on Christian McCaffrey: 'Healthy as Can Be'

At this time a year ago, Christian McCaffrey wasn't even at OTAs -- he was getting married.

Then he got a contract extension, injured his Achilles tendons and had a brutal season. Now, he's back. He made his first live appearance of the offseason in front of the media during Thursday's practice. Afterward, Shanahan was asked about how McCaffrey looks.

“Christian is as ready as any player I've ever been around," said Shanahan. "When he gets hurt, he's got to rehab and get better. Right now he's healthy as can be. We’ve got to kind of protect him from himself, but Christian has a good idea of what he needs to do right now. He's doing a lot less than he normally would do, but I know he is excited on how healthy he feels and the fact that he can get out there.”

That's an interesting answer. "Healthy as can be" is relative. It doesn't mean he's back to being the McCaffrey who won the Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2023 when he was 27. It means he's as healthy as 29-year-old McCaffrey coming off an injury-riddled season can be.

Keep in mind, McCaffrey is not a large running back -- he's built like a slot receiver. And yet, he has been used like a bellcow his entire life. Since he graduated high school, he has had 2,744 touches from scrimmage including 2,013 in the NFL. He's right around the point of his career in which most running backs begin to fall off.

Compare McCaffrey to Marshall Faulk, who was similar. When Faulk was 28, he was the Offensive Player of the Year averaging 5.3 yards per carry. When he was 29, he averaged just 4.5 yards per carry. The next year, 3.9 yards per carry. Faulk's game was built on speed and quickness. Once he lost some of that, he wasn't special anymore. He still was an effective receiver but he no longer was a special runner.

That could be McCaffrey's future. He was an effective receiver in limited action last season, but not an effective runner. He forced just five missed tackles in four games.

It's unfair to expect McCaffrey to magically turn back the clock. Time doesn't work like that.