Nick WagonerESPN Staff Writer September 21, 2023, 6:25am ET11 minutes read
Is Christian McCaffrey’s style of play the future of the RB position?
Andrew Hawkins explains why it’s hard to imagine Christian McCaffrey’s style of play being the future of the running back position in the NFL.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Long before signing bonuses, guarantees and the future of his position became hot topics, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey’s football activities were much simpler.
As a seven-year-old playing his first season of organized football for the Hawks in Parker, Colo., McCaffrey pulled on his No. 26 jersey, surveyed the scene and quickly came to the conclusion that there was only one position he wanted to play.
“I remember in Little League the running back would get the ball every play because when you’re 7 or 8 years old there’s not a lot of passing,” McCaffrey said. “And I liked the idea of scoring touchdowns.”
Five years after Le’Veon Bell declined to sign the franchise tag tender and held out an entire season because the Pittsburgh Steelers declined to reward his dual-threat skills with the lucrative contract he sought, is the declining value of running backs is once again being observed at the forefront of NFL discourse.
This offseason, running backs Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs settled for one-year franchise tag deals from the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, respectively, Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler tried unsuccessfully to get a raise, and the Indianapolis Colts and running back Jonathan Taylor remain in a stalemate.
The fallout from these contractual standoffs was so severe that a group of top running backs, including McCaffrey, Barkley, Jacobs, Ekeler and Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns, met via Zoom in July to discuss ways to approach the market for can boost this position. But as Chubb said at the time, “There’s really nothing we can do right now.”
Even the defensemen expected to pave the way to higher paychecks aren’t immune to the problem teams cite for not paying them: injuries.
As Week 3 of the season begins, with the 49ers hosting the Giants at Levi’s Stadium on Thursday (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) — with Barkley, Ekeler and Chubb out due to injury — the only thing running backs can control is how they look behave on the field. In an increasingly position-less league, McCaffrey’s ability to get his hands on the ball and score from anywhere provides the blueprint for other running backs to follow.
One of three players in league history to have 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season, McCaffrey did what Bell couldn’t: He became the highest-paid running back in 2020, a deal that still has the market for this position averages $16.02 million per year.
It could also be the ticket for the next wave of running backs to NFL success and a payday that matches or exceeds McCaffrey’s.
“They say running backs are replaceable because we just run the ball and stuff,” Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the No. 12 pick in the 2023 draft, said last week. “The difference is that some defenders are able to catch the ball and run their routes out of the slot or across the outside. I think that plays a big role in how teams value you, and you see some defenders don’t get paid that much, but you see the defenders, they’re versatile. They do everything for the team.”
IN JULY 1997Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders became the highest-paid player in the NFL, agreeing to a contract extension that would pay him nearly $5.8 million per season.
Entering the 2023 season, McCaffrey’s salary is the highest average salary at his position, but 112 players earn more annually, including six (defensive end Nick Bosa, tackle Trent Williams, linebacker Fred Warner, defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave, and receivers). Deebo Samuel) in his own team.
Still, McCaffrey, whom the Niners acquired from the Carolina Panthers in October 2022 for second-round, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024, is the one who values running backs the most.
Since coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017, the Niners have repeatedly invested draft capital, big dollars or a combination thereof into the position.
Under Shanahan and Lynch, the Niners had a different running back lead the team in rushing every season. These backs ranged from undrafted players like Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert to early-round picks like McCaffrey (first round, 2017) and Carlos Hyde (second round, 2014).
In the last six seasons since Shanahan and Lynch took over, San Francisco ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (125.35) and sixth in rushing touchdowns (106). The irony is that even though the production has given other teams proof that running backs are replaceable, Shanahan hasn’t stopped looking for improvements.
He points out that his father Mike’s Denver Broncos didn’t overcome the crisis and win a Super Bowl until they found a standout back in Terrell Davis. Before Davis’ arrival, the Broncos had lost four Super Bowls as a franchise, including three in four seasons from 1986 to 1989, in part because quarterback John Elway did not have a running game to complement his strong right arm.
Davis solved that problem by rushing for 6,413 total yards from 1995 to 1998 – including 2,008 on the way to winning Most Valuable Player honors in 1998 – on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“It’s really hard to win in this league without a good running game,” Shanahan said. “We have always been committed to running, regardless of who is back there. … I believe in always committing to that because that’s what makes a football team good. But if you make a difference back there, it’s a big difference.”
Since 2017, the 49ers have drafted four running backs (Joe Williams, Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price), and all but Mitchell – the most successful of the bunch – were taken in the fourth round or earlier. In 2018, they signed running back Jerick McKinnon to a four-year, $30 million deal in the hopes that he could be the type of all-around back that could fill the role McCaffrey now holds. However, McKinnon tore a cruciate ligament in his right knee just before his freshman season and never fully recovered as a Niner, appearing in 16 games over three seasons before resurrecting his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Since 2003, only once has a Shanahan-coached team had the same leading rusher in two consecutive seasons (Alfred Morris in 2012-2013 with Washington).
Shanahan’s devotion to running backs is such that after the second night of this year’s draft, he mocked himself after selecting a kicker in the third round, saying, “I still can’t believe we didn’t get one.” running back.” .”
There was no need this time, as McCaffrey was under contract through the 2025 season and has returned to full health after suffering ankle, shoulder and hamstring injuries – the type of ailments that are common at the position and have contributed to the running back market A standstill is becoming more important – limiting it to a total of 10 games in 2020 and 2021.
With McCaffrey and promising backups Mitchell, Jordan Mason and Davis-Price in place, the Niners didn’t make any significant additions to the running back room.
“We’re lucky,” Lynch said. “Could we play without our husband? I think we could. We want? No. That’s why we paid so much to get him.”
GROWING UP IN Colorado, McCaffrey had an obvious football mentor in his father, Ed, who played wide receiver for the Broncos under Mike Shanahan. McCaffrey learned from his father but also enjoyed watching his favorite running backs, including Davis, Sanders, Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk.
Davis was the local hero, flawlessly executing Denver’s wide-zone run game, while Sanders delivered a masterclass in breaking ankles. In Tomlinson and Faulk, McCaffrey saw an intriguing mix of his father’s receiving abilities and the rushing abilities of Davis and Sanders.
At the time, Faulk and Tomlinson were considered unicorns – each winning an MVP award en route to fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively, all yards from scrimmage and landing in the Hall of Fame – in a world between the two-tackle backs like Jerome Bettis, Emmitt Smith and Eddie George.
A lot has changed since then.
“The running backs are the guys who have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield,” said Bettis, who once had 30 receptions in a season in his 13-year career. “Maybe in years past they played wide receiver and did these things. You can see them developing into the running back position, and now they have a completely different skill set than before. So you’re starting to see that more and more because that’s what the new running back looks like.”
The “new” running back looks a lot like McCaffrey, who is 5-foot-10, 220 pounds and ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine. But more than the measurables, his adaptability and commitment to his craft have elevated him beyond simple position markers.
Growing up, McCaffrey spent countless hours working with his father and brothers on everything that went into playing wide receiver, even if it wasn’t his position. McCaffrey completed receiver workouts that focused on all the intricacies of the position, switching on and off breaks “on the fly” and applying those lessons to the moves he made as a running back.
When he arrived at Valor Christian High in suburban Denver, McCaffrey was drafted as a running back/defensive back/punter. He also played basketball and baseball and ran track.
“It was about being the best athlete,” McCaffrey said.
When opponents filled the run box with extra defenders to slow the run, McCaffrey would move into the slot or outside and run routes designed to beat man coverage.
Each week he learned a route tree specifically designed to attack that opponent. He ran slants, goes, hitches and stop routes, with his father emphasizing the importance of hitting the right yard markers, taking the right steps and getting the timing right.
Why Daniel Dopp believes CMC is “untouchable” in fantasy
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As McCaffrey watched Faulk and Tomlinson, he didn’t make notes about specific things they did so much as he made protocol games that he could imitate.
In addition, McCaffrey continued to study the fundamentals of the position. Shanahan’s offense can be daunting for offensive players as they have to consider every little detail.
On every play, McCaffrey has to know where the run should go, which path to take to get there, when to hit the hole, and what distance everyone else should be at, just like he is.
“It’s a constant learning curve,” McCaffrey said. “You can’t get enough reps and you can lose if you don’t do them. You never don’t learn. You have to keep growing.”
It’s a valuable memory, not just for running backs, but for them as well.
IN MANY WAYS, Marcus Allen was ahead of his time. In an era of power runners, the 1.90 meter tall, 90 kilogram Allen was regularly one of the league’s best pass catchers out of the backfield. From 1983 to 1987, Allen averaged 59.2 receptions for 553.2 yards and 2.4 reception scores.
In 2022, there were six running backs with at least 59 catches and four who surpassed Allen’s career-high of 68. Ekeler led the league with 107.
“I like to think that if I were playing today, I could still have an impact on the game,” Allen said. “You really have to be a more well-rounded player today than ever before. Never leave the field, be a third-down back, you have to be able to catch the ball, you have to be able to throw it, you have to be able to block. And certainly run the ball .
It’s a challenge that doesn’t seem to have gone unnoticed by the younger generation. Jahmyr Gibbs and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who was the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft, were the first two running backs to make it into the top 12 since Leonard Fournette and McCaffrey went No. 4 and No. 8, respectively. in 2017.
Gibbs said he first realized the importance of pass catching as a freshman at Georgia Tech, when running backs coach Tashard Choice, who played the position for seven NFL seasons, pointed it out. From there, Gibbs began paying closer attention to McCaffrey, Ekeler and the New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara, a two-time All-Pro who reached 3,000 career rushing and 3,000 career receiving yards faster (66 games) than any other player in the history.
When Gibbs arrived at the combine in March, he discovered that he and McCaffrey were almost the same height. That reinforced Gibbs’ belief that he’s not too small to play running back in the NFL.
Robinson prefers not to think too far into the future about the impact players like him and Gibbs can have on the value of the position, but he recognizes how they can help when they play well.
“I just try to stay where I am and understand that maybe one day we can make the change,” Robinson said.
McCaffrey comes off the practice field in the middle of training camp and has a 20-minute conversation about the development of his position. He smiles as he mentions Hall of Fame members Bettis and Allen, who call him a role model for other supporters. He continually points out that his path isn’t the only one, championing Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry as a very special player, even if he does his damage with a more powerful, hard-hitting style.
Above all, McCaffrey reminds us that a player’s value ultimately depends on the teams signing the checks. Therefore, the only thing he and his fellow running backs can do is elevate their play to the point where their value transcends their position.
“When you talk about value, it has to come from the team,” he said. “We all kind of have our own niche, but that’s what makes the position so special and so valuable because you can use your best players in different ways to win games.”
ESPN NFL Nation reporters Michael Rothstein and Eric Woodyard contributed to this story.