On Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers swung a major trade by sending multiple draft picks to the struggling Carolina Panthers for star running back Christian McCaffrey.
The Panthers had been shopping him, and there were whispers that San Francisco may have been interested in him, but this deal still seemingly came out of the blue.
It is a potential big windfall for the 3-3 49ers because of his varied skills, but head coach Kyle Shanahan identified another benefit of this trade.
Kyle Shanahan called it a "bonus" that the #49ers beat the #Rams in the Christian McCaffery trade sweepstake. pic.twitter.com/PYRWpTWHEV
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 21, 2022
Shanahan mentioned how the Los Angeles Rams had been the Niners’ biggest competitor for McCaffrey, and that it was a “bonus” that they beat out the defending Super Bowl champs in that regard.
The 49ers and Rams have been longtime AFC West rivals, and of course, last season the Rams denied San Francisco a shot at the world championship by defeating it in the NFC Championship Game.
Both teams are struggling right now, but the Niners look like they’ve gotten a leg up on the Rams – as well as most other teams in the conference.
San Francisco may have the NFL’s best defense, but its offense has been struggling, particularly in the running game.
Without the threat of a ground attack, its pass defense has also been somewhat anemic.
But McCaffrey will give the 49ers a man who is always a threat to top the 1,000-yard mark in rushing every season he remains relatively healthy.
Your newest member of the #49ers, Christian McCaffrey ‼️pic.twitter.com/72NUrCjCOm
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) October 21, 2022
Of course, he has had injury problems the last two years, but he is healthy right now, and with him in the backfield, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle may have more freedom downfield.
McCaffrey is also a dual-threat tailback who is a legitimate threat to haul in receptions as a receiver, which will diversify San Francisco’s offense even more.
Make no mistake: the Niners are dead-serious about winning it all.
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