The 49ers' Biggest Roster Flaw that Can Derail their Season

If the 49ers can just stay healthy, they might be really good this year.

Jun 11, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs a play from scrimmage during a team OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

If the 49ers can just stay healthy, they might be really good this year.

Unfortunately for them, they need Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams in particular to stay healthy. And not just that -- they need those two to play like they did two years ago when McCaffrey was the offensive player of the year and Williams was an All-Pro.

If both of those two turn back the clock, the 49ers will be in business. If they can't, they'll be in big trouble. And that's their biggest roster flaw, according to Bleacher Report's Moe Moton.

"McCaffrey has missed at least 10 games in three of the last five years," writes Moton. "He has 1,871 touches on his resume and may not take on a massive workload with all the wear and tear on his body. Head coach Kyle Shanahan hinted that the team will be careful with its star running back's workload.

"After missing seven games in 2024, Williams is entering his age-37 term. He hasn't played through a full season since 2013. The San Francisco 49ers should expect him to miss at least a couple of games, but they don't have quality depth behind the 11-time Pro Bowler. Backup left tackle Andre Dillard, a 2019 first-rounder, hasn't come close to meeting the expectations of his draft status.

"The 49ers can try to preserve McCaffrey by increasing Isaac Guerendo's role and inserting rookie fifth-rounder Jordan James into the backfield rotation, but neither compares to the elite dual-threat running back. San Francisco will see a notable drop-off when McCaffrey steps off the field.

"If McCaffrey and Williams are spectators for extended periods like last year, expect San Francisco to finish with a sub-.500 record. The 49ers' backups at running back and left tackle won't be enough to get them to the playoffs."

I completely agree with Moton's analysis, and I don't understand why the 49ers didn't do more to fortify the running back and left tackle positions this offseason. They actually traded away their backup running back, Jordan Mason, to the Minnesota Vikings. I assumed they would draft a running back relatively early, but they waited until Round 5 to take Jordan James, who doesn't seem particularly special. And Andre Dillard is useless as a left tackle.

So much depends on McCaffrey and Williams. We'll see what they can do.

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