Operating again Brian Robinson has been a vibrant spot for the San Francisco 49ers offense the final couple of weeks with 94 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, however his breakout pair of video games aren’t liable to change how head coach Kyle Shanahan deploys his operating backs.
Because the touches pile up for 29-year-old RB Christian McCaffrey the questions on probably limiting his workload have piled up with it. By 10 video games he’s on tempo for 423 touches − 84 greater than he had in his Offensive Participant of the Yr marketing campaign in 2023.
Lack of a succesful backup has been one of many explanations for McCaffrey’s outsized share of the offensive snaps up to now, however the 49ers traded for Robinson earlier than the season and gave the membership a participant able to dealing with a whole lot of what McCaffrey can do offensively.
Nonetheless, this season has confirmed simply how worthwhile McCaffrey is individually to the 49ers’ offense, significantly due to what he can do as a go catcher. He is on tempo for 1,000 dashing yards and 1,000 receiving yards once more this season. Hitting each of these marks would make him the primary participant in NFL historical past to have two 1,000/1,000 seasons. McCaffrey has buoyed the 49ers’ offense for your entire season whereas accidents struck at huge receiver, tight finish and quarterback.
Merely eradicating McCaffrey from the sphere is not one thing the 49ers are liable to do fairly often. There is a cause he has performed 84.2 p.c of the offensive snaps and hasn’t performed fewer than 74.6 p.c of the snaps in a sport this season. The 49ers want him on the sphere if they’ll maximize their offense, they usually have not opened sufficient margin for error to offer McCaffrey a major variety of performs off.
One attainable resolution was nearly taken off the desk by Shanahan on Wednesday. He was requested whether or not the McCaffrey and Robinson duo might play collectively to reap the benefits of McCaffrey’s receiving prowess. Shanahan defined that placing each gifted gamers on the sphere on the similar time presents attainable points for an offense.
“It relies upon how the protection performs it,” Shanahan stated. “I imply, simply them being on to similar discipline, I’m considering of the benefit of when you might have two operating backs they usually go nickel on a regular basis, that to me doesn’t suggest you essentially have two operating backs. Meaning you might have three receivers as a result of now they are going in opposition to all corners as an alternative of linebackers and safeties. Which may give you benefit to run if certainly one of your operating backs needs to play fullback. So, we might try this, however simply placing two runners on the market as a result of one’s good within the go sport, in the event that they need to keep base and stuff and play us like we have now a fullback in there, then that might be a bonus as a result of now he is on the market having the benefit of a fullback being within the sport, which suggests you are going in opposition to the linebacker or security. So, it actually will depend on how the protection would play it they usually do not are likely to play us that means.”
The uptick in productiveness for Robinson might result in extra constant carries. He had zero in Weeks 6 and eight, however 9 in Week 7. Within the first 5 weeks his carries ranged from two to 9. That consistency is extra more likely to manifest in eight or 9 carries than it’s in a cut up workload the place the 49ers give McCaffrey a number of drives off per sport. He is just too necessary for what they do offensively, and if the pair is not going to coexist on the sphere collectively then there simply aren’t going to be sufficient snaps for Robinson to be something greater than a bit participant within the 49ers’ backfield.
Extra 49ers: No news is good news for the 49ers on their 1st Week 11 practice participation report
