Kyle Shanahan drops latest update on Christian McCaffrey's injury as 49ers RB eyes comeback

Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers suffered mightily in the 2024 season, falling from Super Bowl runners-up to dead-last in their NFC West. A debilitiating Achilles injury to star running back Christian McCaffrey was a major factor, but there is an encouraging update on his condition as 2025 approaches.

During last week's annual league meetings at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, the head coach said:

"Christian's healthy, he's doing great."

However, he did not rule out adding depth behind the multiple-time Pro Bowler and incoming sophomore Isaac Guerendo - especially after the departures of Jordan Mason (traded to the Minnesota Vikings) and Elijah Mitchell (joined the Kansas City Chiefs):

"We got Isaac in there, working. [We're] pumped to get Patrick [Taylor] back, and we'll see if we add someone in the draft. But you'd like to add one every year."

The franchise will have 11 picks, including 11th overall, in the upcoming draft.

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Kyle Shanahan excited to work with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh again

After losing Super Bowl LVIII, Kyle Shanahan fired coordinator Steve Wilks, who was only a year into his tenure. His next move would prove one of the most baffling of the 2024 offseason, as he elected to promote Nick Sorensen, who at the time had mostly been a special-teams coach.

It ultimately proved very disastrous come actual gametime: under him, the defense plummeted to the bottom half in multiple categories, including second-to-last in the red zone. As a result, he was dropped after initially being considered for a lateral move to special teams, eventually joining the Dallas Cowboys.

To fill the vacancy, Kyle Shanahan turned towards a familiar face: Robert Saleh, his former defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020. In the same media availability, he expressed excitement at working together again:

"Whatever we discuss with all of the coaches, I discuss it with coordinators more than anything. That was one of the main reasons, or more exciting reasons for me to get Robert back. I know how good at X's and O's he is and how well he runs his side of the ball."

He added:

"Going through this with Robert once before... we did a pretty good job. We learned a lot going through it, and he’s only learned that much more going through it again on another staff."

The 49ers begin their spring camp on April 21, alongside other teams with returning head coaches.