Christian McCaffrey is Carrying the 49ers in More than One Way

What a player.

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The San Francisco 49ers running back duo is better than the majority of the league, and they do not even have a second running back right now. According to Bleacher Report, the 49ers duo ranked outside the top 10, but in the 11-13 honorable mention group when going through the best 1-2 punches at running back. 

The San Francisco 49ers need a second running back to step up in 2026

The analysis from Moe Moton was fair. Christian McCaffrey cannot be left off any list ranking the top running backs in any scenario. So, they had to make the honorable mention list. However, of any running back duo on the list, the 49ers' second running back was the worst. 

To be fair, the rest of the honorable mentions included Ray Davis of the Buffalo Bills and Justice Hill of the Baltimore Ravens. Those two are only being included because Derrick Henry and James Cook are so good. Still, even Davis and Hill have much longer track records than Jordan James and Kaelon Black.

James was drafted in round 5 last year and did not record a single carry in the regular season. Black is coming in as a third-round pick, so there are some expectations built around him. However, he has not shown much, and many saw him potentially going late on day three before the 49ers drafted him.

If either of those two flashes at all, the 49ers' dynamic duo will be feared league-wide. However, with these two bringing up questions, the room is McCaffrey, and then whoever else can join him.

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Interestingly enough, the duo of Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. ranked fourth. This is notable because Robinson was on the 49ers last season.

San Francisco believes that Black could be an upgrade over Robinson, and if not, they already wanted James to play over Robinson before James got hurt. However, Robinson has a few years of getting serious work before 2025, and even last year, he was solid in the backup role. So, the 49ers can project to have an upgraded backup, but the rankings reflect the true feeling league-wide. 

Still, McCaffrey is right in the conversation with Bijan Robinson, so as long as his backup can be anywhere close to what Brian Robinson Jr. did, the duo in San Francisco could jump from right outside the top ten into the top five as soon as this season.