San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had an NFL-high 413 touches last season. That's something the team clearly wanted to address this offseason to keep its veteran starter fresh through a lengthy 17-game season.

The 49ers' solution was to draft Kaelon Black in the third round, hoping the rookie could develop into a player who could ease McCaffrey's workload. Black stood out in the offseason and preseason and has already made an impact in the first two games. He has one more carry than McCaffrey so far this season—21 to 20.


While McCaffrey has two rushing touchdowns, his rushing yardage is nearly identical to Black's. McCaffrey has 91 rushing yards, compared with 90 for the rookie.

Of course, McCaffrey's ability to contribute as a receiver makes him difficult to replace, but the 49ers also hope Black can develop in that area. For now, the rookie's ability to contribute on the ground gives San Francisco another option and could help McCaffrey remain fresh as the season progresses.

"Each game is different," McCaffrey said Wednesday morning during an interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR. "There might be games where you don't know what's going to happen. I think me and Kaelon both go into games ready to take every touch. That's the way we prepare, and I think a high tide rises all ships. And he's somebody that came in as a rookie and definitely made his presence felt.

"He does everything right. He retains information, which I think is one of the hardest things for young backs in this offense to do. He retained everything extremely well. You could tell he's a mature football player, and he plays extremely hard."

McCaffrey said he was thrilled to see how quickly Black grasped the offense. While the veteran running back has repeatedly acknowledged he wants to be on the field for every play, he understands that the team's approach is about more than simply reducing his workload.


"I don't even think it's about the workload or anything like that," McCaffrey explained. "It's more so just keeping defenses on their toes, when you have a back who can come in and run through your face for two extra yards, and then I come in for another. I think you can see how effective that can be.

"And our goal's to win. Our goal's to win the Super Bowl. Our goal's to continue to beat teams. And I think when you have good players on offense, you have to put them in, in one capacity or another. So, definitely a huge addition for our team, somebody that's going to continue to help us a lot."

The early results suggest the 49ers have found a promising way to complement McCaffrey without taking away his importance to the offense. If Black continues to develop, San Francisco could have a more versatile backfield while keeping its star running back fresher for the games ahead.

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