Do McCaffrey, Samuel give 49ers the NFL's most dynamic duo?
The San Francisco 49ers pulled off a blockbuster trade Thursday night, acquiring running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers for four future draft picks.
McCaffrey gives the 49ers an explosive playmaker at the running back position, which this team was lacking, especially after starter Elijah Mitchell suffered a sprained MCL in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.
With the 2019 All-Pro running back now working alongside All-Pro wideout Deebo Samuel, do the 49ers have the most dynamic offensive duo in the NFL?
Several teams would like to enter the chat, including the Miami Dolphins (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle), Minnesota Vikings (Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook), Las Vegas Raiders (Davante Adams and Darren Waller) and Cincinnati Bengals (Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Mixon) are among NFL teams with a premier and/or versatile playmaking combo.
None of those pairings, however, have proven as versatile as the Niners' in both the running and passing game. On Friday's airing of "The Carton Show," former NFL wide receiver Victor Cruz asserted the deal for McCaffrey immediately vaults San Francisco to the top of he conference.
"I think it puts them right at the top, and as far as contention is concerned, I think you got two Deebo Samuels now," Cruz said of the 49ers acquiring McCaffrey. "I think you have another Deebo Samuel-type player that you can flex out into the slot, that you can put into the backfield, that you can line him up as a receiver, get one-on-one opportunities, get a ton of mismatches is what he loves to do.
"So I think that coaching staff is going to have a blast putting together offensive packages to take advantage of his skill set."
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Craig Carton breaks down why acquiring Christian McCaffrey is a huge win for the 49ers, equating it to having two Deebo Samuels in the lineup.
McCaffrey totaled 393 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry across six games with the Panthers this season. He also added 277 receiving yards, 33 receptions and one receiving touchdown. The 26-year-old running back was limited to a combined 10 games from 2020-21 due to a handful of injuries.
Prior to those injuries, McCaffrey became the third player in NFL history to finish with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season in 2019, which came after producing 1,965 total yards from scrimmage in 2018.
Samuel has totaled 345 receiving yards, 27 receptions and two receiving touchdowns this season. He has also totaled 136 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Samuel finished the 2021 season with 1,405 receiving yards, 77 receptions, six receiving touchdowns, 365 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
"Undisputed" cohost Shannon Sharpe gave the 49ers a "B" for the trade, arguing that McCaffrey's injury history and a handful of injuries that the team is currently dealing with (left tackle Trent Williams and defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead) hinder the running back's impact. At full force, though, Sharpe thinks McCaffrey and the 49ers could have something "very, very special."
"I think it's a very good deal for the 49ers," Sharpe said. "He's one of the best backs in football. You could make a case from his rookie year and his first two years he was the best back in football, but then he was besieged by a rash of injuries, and that's the reason I didn't give it an 'A.'
"Can he stay healthy? Because if he can stay healthy, with Kyle [Shanahan's] mind, the way he can diagram runs and get him the ball along with a Deebo Samuel, this could be something very special. He doesn't make them contenders because they got too many important players that are out."
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The San Francisco 49ers have traded for Christian McCaffrey. Skip Bayless grades the trade.
Cohost Skip Bayless gave the 49ers an "A-" for the trade, arguing that McCaffrey is an optimum fit in head coach Shanahan's offense.
"He's got genius in coaching and strategizing the run game that astounds me," Bayless said. "It's all what I call not sleight of hand, it's slight of handoff, because it's a lot of moving parts, it's a lot of misdirection, it's a lot of creativity between the tackles where it's all about creating angles that nobody creates better than Kyle.
"Well, if you can give this kid some angles, some off-tackles, some misdirections where he can hit a crease, if you can maximize him with your strategy, that works for me. So, I love the fit."
San Francisco is 3-3 and in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West. Quarterback Trey Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, springing Jimmy Garoppolo into action. The veteran quarterback now has a running back room that includes McCaffrey, Mitchell and Jeff Wilson. Moreover, he has the versatile Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and one of the league's best tight ends in George Kittle to throw to.
The 49ers host the Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).