Nov 10, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) catches the ball over Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

NFL insider expecting bounce-back from former Panthers’ superstar

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 3:30 PM ET

He led the NFL in rushing yards (1,459), yards from scrimmage (2,023), and tied for the league lead in touchdowns scored (21) while earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023. The San Francisco 49ers reached Super Bowl LVIII, losing in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In 2024, former Carolina Panthers’ first-round pick and current Niners’ running back Christian McCaffrey played in only four games. His 65 touches and 348 yards from scrimmage were career lows, and he failed to score at last one touchdown for the first time in his eight-year NFL career. Recently, ESPN did its traditional ranking of the Top 10 NFL players by position, and started with running back.

Entering 2024, McCaffrey was atop the list. Now he comes in at No. 5 behind Saquon Barkley (Eagles), Derrick Henry (Ravens), Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), and Bijan Robinson (Falcons) for 2025. Jared Dubin of CBS Sports appeared somewhat surprised for McCaffrey’s spot on the list, and cited some recent history as to why the eight-year pro could enjoy a successful 2025.

“We should remember the situations of Barkley and Henry this time a year ago,” explained Dubin. “They were each coming off arguably the worst seasons of their respective careers as rushers. Barkley had averaged just 3.9 yards per carry in 2023 and posted a terrible 40.1 percent success rate. Henry tied a career-low with 4.2 yards per carry and was out-snapped by Tyjae Spears. They change teams and suddenly they’re the two best backs in the league.

“McCaffrey is still going to be in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, and he might have an even bigger role in it than when we last saw him healthy thanks to the departure of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk’s torn ACL. He’s reportedly healthy now and, while he will be 29 years old this season, Henry was 30 for most of last year and we saw what he did. McCaffrey has dealt with injury issues during his career before (he’s played 16-plus games 5 times in 8 years, but 7 or fewer in the other three, including 4 or fewer twice)."

In referencing the ESPN rankings, Dubin stated that “based on his level of talent it’s really hard to see how (Barkley) garners no first-place votes and even goes unranked by at least one voter.”

Only time will tell what McCaffrey still has left in the tank,” added Dubin, “but it sure seems like we’ve seen this movie before, where a player who is very obviously among the true class at his position goes at least somewhat undervalued for reasons having little to do with his talent.”

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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