Kubiak admits reducing CMC’s 49ers workload isn’t so simple

SANTA CLARA — Running back Christian McCaffrey had 339 touches during the 2023 regular season.He earned NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and the 49ers came within an overtime stop of winning the Super Bowl.In a not entirely unrelated comparison, McCaffrey appeared in just four games last year. The 49ers finished last in the NFC West with a 6-11 record."You guys saw in 2023 how important he is to what we want to be as an offense," 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said this week."He's an elite player, and we're going to do everything we can to get him the ball as much as we can. His health is really important. He's one of our central players on offense."Make no mistake — McCaffrey is the central player on the 49ers' offense. It was evident in 2023, when he scored 14 touchdowns rushing and seven more as a receiver.Last year, he did not get into the end zone."We want to hand him the ball," Kubiak said. "We want to throw him the ball. How he changes defenses when he's on the field for how they have to play us in certain coverages."Putting more guys in the box to stop the run, it has an effect on the opponents."Last year, he missed training camp and the first eight games of...