Kyle Shanahan was all smiles when hearing that his 49ers had successfully traded for Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey on Thursday night. Whether the coach’s new weapon will be available on a quick turnaround for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs remains to be seen, however.
First, McCaffrey has to make his way to the Bay Area and pass his physical. It isn’t clear whether he’ll get a single practice before Sunday’s game against one of the best teams in the AFC. As a result, Shanahan isn’t sure whether McCaffrey will be available for the Week 7 tilt.
“I’m still up in the air whether we’re going to be able to get him here for Sunday or not,” Shanahan said during a KNBR appearance Friday, per 49ers Webzone. “I know for sure he’ll be here the following Sunday. But that’s kind of why I’m in a wait-and-see approach right now… This happened so fast, and we’ve just got to see where he’s at.”
The 49ers are one of the NFL’s many 3–3 teams, sitting in a three-way tie in the NFC West with the Rams and Seahawks (the Cardinals are 3–4 after a win Thursday). The team made the NFC championship game last season, and was in the Super Bowl just a few years ago. The McCaffrey trade could be the boost they needed to vault back into that top tier of NFC teams.
McCaffrey, whose father Ed played for the 49ers in 1994 during his lengthy NFL career, has 393 rushing yards and 277 receiving yards on the year with three total touchdowns. Jeff Wilson Jr. leads the way with 400 rushing yards for the 49ers, but could take a backseat now with McCaffrey, one of the league’s top dual-threat players out of the backfield, joining the team.
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If McCaffrey can’t go against the Chiefs, his 49ers debut will likely come the following week against the Rams. In Week 6, he ran for 69 yards and added seven receptions for 89 yards against L.A. in a 24–10 loss for the Panthers. The Rams were also reportedly in the mix to trade for the running back, before their division rival was able to land him.
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