49ers Continue to Assure Christian McCaffrey is Healthy/Elite

The San Francisco 49ers are building significant expectations around Christian McCaffrey's health and performance for the upcoming season. McCaffrey himself stated his health is not an issue and he can still play at a high level, a sentiment echoed by head coach Kyle Shanahan and other teammates during OTAs and minicamp. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk recently joined in, declaring McCaffrey "arguably the best player in the NFL," highlighting his 2022 Offensive Player of the Year award and stating he looks "incredible," "healthy," and "explosive."

The team appears to be collectively emphasizing McCaffrey's readiness, perhaps trying to "manifest it into existence" due to his critical importance to their offense; losing him again would be devastating. This reflects a strong desire within the organization to believe he will be the elite player he was in 2023.

However, the article urges caution regarding these assurances, suggesting they should be taken "with a grain of salt." It points out the similarity to last year's situation when McCaffrey initially had a "calf strain" and reminds readers that he suffered injuries to both Achilles tendons, plus a knee injury that ended his 2024 season. The author finds it notable that the team is acting as if these significant injuries never occurred.

The piece concludes that words from McCaffrey, teammates, and coaches are ultimately meaningless until he demonstrates his health and elite performance consistently on the field over multiple games. By setting such high expectations that he *must* be healthy and elite, the 49ers risk setting themselves up for a massive letdown if he fails to meet them.