NFC West

The Los Angeles Rams may be in serious trouble. The defending Super Bowl champions fell to 3-4 in embarrassing fashion Sunday, losing 31-14 to the rival San Francisco 49ers.

It marked the second loss of the year to San Francisco and the third time this season that the 49ers have won out over L.A.

In between the two NFC West showdowns, the 49ers also topped the Rams in the Christian McCaffrey sweepstakes. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports noted, the 49ers and Rams were both vying for the chance to acquire McCaffrey via a trade:

"The Panthers pitted the Rams and Niners against one another as the two teams continue to battle for NFC West—and NFC, and NFL—dominance. The 49ers' ability to include a 2023 fourth-round pick took them over the top, as the Rams had traded their 2023 fourth last year to acquire Sony Michel."

Los Angeles got a firsthand look at McCaffrey on Sunday, and the 26-year-old shined with running, receiving and passing touchdowns.

Christian McCaffrey's first TD as a 49er is a ... 34-yard PASSING touchdown.pic.twitter.com/tnQYKZU25f

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 30, 2022

The Rams' rushing attack, meanwhile, floundered against San Francisco, finishing with just 56 yards.

The door has closed on Los Angeles' shot at McCaffrey, but the Rams' need for a starting-caliber back remains. Fortunately, another quality dual-threat back is available, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"The Cleveland Browns are willing to grant running back Kareem Hunt's trade request, sources told ESPN," Schefter wrote Sunday. "Hunt, who is in the final year of his contract and is seeking a new deal, asked to be traded by the Browns this past August, but the team initially declined his request."

Hunt hasn't been heavily utilized this season, as the Browns have leaned hard on starting back Nick Chubb. However, Hunt was fantastic when healthy a season ago, racking up 560 scrimmage yards, 22 receptions and five touchdowns in eight games.

Hunt also led the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards as a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017.

According to Schefter, the Browns want a fourth-round pick for Hunt, something the Rams don't have next year, but if Los Angeles can make an equivalent offer, it should. The need for an upgrade at running back is too pressing to ignore.

The Rams rank 31st in rushing and 31st in yards per carry (3.3) as a team. They're also trying to trade former starter Cam Akers, though he's expected to return to the lineup if he isn't dealt.

"The Rams would find a trade partner for Akers in a perfect world, according to sources, but they also recognize that he can still help them this season," Schefter also wrote Sunday.

Realistically, though, Akers isn't going to provide much help. He's averaged a paltry 3.0 yards per carry and fumbled once in five games.

To make matters worse, star wideout Cooper Kupp suffered an ankle injury Sunday. The 2021 receiving leader was optimistic after the game.

"Foot got caught, but I think it was able to slide out of there before there was too much damage done, and so, we'll see over these next few days how it responds," Kupp told reporters.

However, if Kupp misses time or plays at less than 100 percent, the Rams have little hope of bringing balance to their offense with the current roster. Kupp is the only reliable playmaker on offense right now, and if he isn't backing opposing defenses up, the ground game could get even more underwhelming.

Hunt, who has 191 receptions in 66 career games, would at least give Matthew Stafford another go-to target in the passing game.

Now, it's fair to wonder how much interest the Rams have in acquiring Hunt, who is in the final year of his contract. According to NBC Sports' Peter King, it isn't much.

"The Kareem Hunt talk sounds like an invention," King wrote Monday. "I don't think the Rams have much interest in him."

If the Rams believe that Hunt is too pricey, they need to consider other options. Perhaps Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson—534 yards and 5.3 yards per carry last season—could be available. Maybe the Rams can pry a running back away from another struggling team—Josh Jacobs of the 2-5 Las Vegas Raiders is also in the final year of his contract.

However, Los Angeles should kick the tires on Hunt first. He's the best realistic option the Rams can target, and L.A. is running out of time before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has never been shy about making splash moves. Last year, Lynch mortgaged the franchise's future to trade up in the 2021 draft and select quarterback Trey Lance.

Lynch struck again recently, sending a package of picks to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for running back Christian McCaffrey.

After playing sparingly in his Niners debut last week, McCaffrey saw his first extensive action with his new team Sunday against the Rams.

One game is too small a sample size to pass final judgment on San Francisco's acquisition, but if San Francisco's beatdown in Los Angeles was any indication, trading for McCaffrey was a brilliant move—one that might just make the 49ers the biggest threat to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC.

And once the Niners get Deebo Samuel back on the field, he and McCaffrey will be nightmare fuel for defensive coordinators across the league.

Upon his arrival in the Bay Area, McCaffrey told reporters that he was eager to play in Kyle Shanahan's RB-friendly offense.

"I don't know if there's anyone better at putting guys in positions to have success and tailor into what they're good at," McCaffrey said.

"For me, I've watched him do some unbelievable things with some great running backs and even the running backs in the room right now. I'm just excited to learn from them and hear how coach Shanahan coaches not just the running back position, but every single position on the field. It's something you kind of hear legends about."

The admiration society is most assuredly mutual. Shanahan raved about what McCaffrey brought to the table in San Francisco as well.

"I don't think there's anything he can't do, whether it's in the pass game, the run game, blocking," Shanahan said. "I think he's a very talented player. Just watching how he plays, he's a very smart player. He always gets to the right hole, is very smooth, and I've seen that at every level he's played in."

McCaffrey didn't have a huge impact in last week's loss to the Chiefs, but that was expected. There's only so much you can learn about a scheme in a couple of days.

But after getting a full week of practices in, Sunday's big NFC West showdown was a chance for McCaffrey to really show his team what he could do. For the talking to stop and the walking to start. And with Samuel sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Niners needed their new star to step up, answer the call and be a focal point of the offense.

Consider that call answered.

You name it, McCaffrey did it against the Rams. He carried the ball 18 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. He caught eight passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. He even threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk.

Christian McCaffrey's first TD as a 49er is a ... 34-yard PASSING touchdown.pic.twitter.com/tnQYKZU25f

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 30, 2022

Show-off.

All told, that's 26 touches for 149 yards and two scores as a runner and receiver and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. It's the first time since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 that a player has run for a score, caught a touchdown pass and thrown one in the same game.

Other than that, he was just OK.

Mind you, this was in a game that was similar to McCaffrey's time in Carolina. The Rams knew he was going to get the ball a lot. But because he lined up all over the place, there was precious little they could do about it. It's hard to key on a guy that lines up all over the formation.

Now imagine the dilemma the Los Angeles Chargers will have in two weeks when they have to try to stop two of them.

Samuel and McCaffrey are great players, to be sure. But one of the things that makes them great is their ability to line up in the backfield, in the slot or even split out wide.

As Brian Renick said on the 49ers Webzone: No Huddle podcast (h/t Ryan Gilbert of Audacy), having the versatile duo on the field together will be awfully hard for opponents to defend.

"I get excited thinking about things like what's it going to look like if you have Deebo and Christian McCaffrey lined up in the backfield at the same time. What are defenses going to do? They got to be in base defense, right? You got two running backs on the field.

"So now you've got Deebo and Christian McCaffrey who can, either one of them can take a handoff or can go out on the route from the backfield. All of a sudden Kyle Shanahan unlocks scheme versatility, which he wasn't able to do with the injuries that he currently has to deal with."

It's a Kobayashi Maru—a no-win situation. If you stay in base defense to defend the run, McCaffrey and Samuel will run circles around the linebackers or safeties tasked with covering them.

Never mind that the defensive backs covering wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle will be getting exactly zero help. Someone's going to be wide open with regularity.

Go to the nickel or dime in an effort to shore up the pass coverage and prevent death by a thousand cuts, and McCaffrey and Samuel will gash you on the ground. McCaffrey has averaged 4.6 yards per carry as a rusher for his career. Samuel averaged a gaudy 6.2 yards per carry during his breakout 2021 season.

The 49ers will bludgeon you into goo until you commit to stopping the run, and then they will make you pay for that commitment over the top.

You don't see many split backfields or "pro set" formations in 2022. But the 49ers might be the exception to that rule because lining McCaffrey and Samuel up in tandem in the backfield would be a nightmare to scheme against.

That's hardly the end of the problems for opponents, either. With veteran tackle Trent Williams back, the 49ers' offensive line goes from a potential weakness to a strength. San Francisco ranked first in the NFC in total defense and sixth in the conference in scoring defense entering Week 8.

The team's biggest weakness may be quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but when Garoppolo plays a clean game like he did against the Rams, the Niners are going to be hard to beat.

This isn't to say that McCaffrey's arrival ensures the Niners a spot in Super Bowl LVII. There are no guarantees in the NFL, and it's a long way to February.

But with due respect to the surprising Seattle Seahawks, McCaffrey's arrival does make the Niners the team to beat in the NFC West. It gives San Francisco an offense that's potentially as lethal as the defense is stout and offers the 49ers a level of balance that only the Philadelphia Eagles can match in the conference.

And in pairing McCaffrey and Samuel, the 49ers have single-handedly caused a 492 percent spike in Pepto Bismol consumption among defensive coordinators and a lot of sleepless nights in the near future as they try in vain to devise a way to stop them.

The San Francisco 49ers gave up plenty to land Christian McCaffrey when they traded four draft picks to the Carolina Panthers.

They did it for performances like Sunday's.

McCaffrey was brilliant while helping lead his 49ers to a 31-14 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday's showdown. San Francisco snapped a two-game losing streak, improved to 4-4 overall and now has the tiebreaker over its NFC West rival after sweeping the season series.

The Stanford product finished with 94 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards and three total touchdowns, one of which came on a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk on a trick play in the second quarter.

He even made history as the first player since 2005 to catch, run and throw a touchdown in the same game, which drew plenty of reaction on social media:

CMC HAS A PASSING, RUSHING, AND RECEIVING TD 🤯

He's the first player since 2005 to do this, per @FieldYates pic.twitter.com/gH7OJ3relW

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 30, 2022

CMC AIRS IT OUT TO AIYUK FOR THE TD 🤯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/hKMwTDlJmi

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 30, 2022

CMC DOING EVERYTHING 🔥

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/lRgOuIqS9x

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 30, 2022

THE TOUCHDOWN TRIPLE CROWN.

A passing, receiving, and now a rushing TD for @CMC_22!

📺: #SFvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/cSiNcKjZJe pic.twitter.com/IyaTMsAgFT

— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2022

Players with a passing, rushing and receiving TD in a game since the 1970 merger:

1979 Walter Payton
2001 David Patten
2005 LaDainian Tomlinson
2022 Christian McCaffrey

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) October 30, 2022

CMC has taken over this game 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

— Torry Holt (@AllHands81) October 30, 2022

Mr. Do It All@CMC_22 @49ers pic.twitter.com/9WnkMo0LLL

— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2022

I feel poorly for Panthers fans but all of McCaffrey's cool plays are just so much cooler in a 49ers jersey. I cannot explain why, but this is the truth

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) October 30, 2022

Christian McCaffrey just threw a 34-yard touchdown to Brandon Aiyuk.

CMC now has two career completions for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. Elite arm.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 30, 2022

You can have the draft picks. I’ll take @CMC_22

— Colin Cowherd (@colincowherd) October 30, 2022

Christian McCaffrey is the first player in the 49ers' illustrious history to record a rushing, receiving and passing touchdown in the same game.

It took him 2 weeks

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) October 30, 2022

Yeah, that’s me — the guy who questioned how much the 49ers gave up for McCaffrey. pic.twitter.com/VNNlJB2lHi

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 30, 2022

Christian McCaffrey is unreal. 🔥#FTTB

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 30, 2022

I asked if the impact of McCaffrey makes up for money, picks and potential loss of players b/c of money. The answer is YES LMAO. He makes all the difference in the world. 😮‍💨

Stay healthy my guy. 💪🏾

— Eric Crocker 🥷🏾 (@Crocky209) October 30, 2022

One of the best prospects I saw run receiver drills at the 2017 Combine was @CMC_22

Didn’t see him throw though.

He has a TD in both categories today. So far.

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) October 30, 2022

While McCaffrey has dealt with injuries in his career, he looked explosive as a runner and used his speed to get to the edge on the second level multiple times. His ability to work as a receiver out of the backfield also helped make up for the absence of Deebo Samuel, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

McCaffrey impacted the game in a number of ways, but he was at his best in the third quarter with a leaping go-ahead touchdown in the corner of the end zone. It would have been an incredible play even if he was a wide receiver, and it put the visitors ahead for good.

It wasn't difficult to envision the 49ers offense torching opponents with a healthy Samuel and McCaffrey on the field at the same time, as the running back put the team on his back against Los Angeles.

Next up is the bye week, so Samuel will have some extra time to get healthy before a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. The result may be one of the scariest one-two punches in the entire NFL.

Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers is expected to resume playing for the team if he is not moved by Tuesday's trade deadline.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Rams would trade Akers "in a perfect world" but that it's also possible he winds up returning.

The Rams are expected to hold Akers out of Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers amid a falling out over frustration with his role in the offense. It'll mark the second straight game he's missed.

"I'd like to think I'm a very open-minded person," Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters earlier this month. "But I think when you look at certain situations and scenarios with the way that things have kind of unfolded, as of right now, I think ... the best option for all parties ... would be to explore if there's a good situation for him with another team.

"If that doesn't come to fruition, I would never say that him coming back and figuring out the best way to be able to utilize him and him be the best player he's capable of is, is off the table. I would never speak in absolutes like that."

The 23-year-old Florida State product was limited to one appearance during the 2021 regular season because of a torn Achilles, but he made it back in time for the playoffs to help L.A. capture the Super Bowl LVI title.

He's tallied 169 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown in five games so far in 2022.

Darrell Henderson Jr. is expected to receive a bulk of the snaps at running back for the time being, with Malcolm Brown mixing in.

Akers is still working to prove himself as a potential franchise running back. Given the lack of movement nearly three full weeks after the falling out, it's clear opposing teams aren't overly sold on him.

Seattle Seahawks wide receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are both expected to play Sunday against the New York Giants despite being listed as questionable on this week's injury report, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Seahawks’ WR Tyler Lockett, listed as questionable for Sunday due to hamstring and rib injuries, is expected to play vs. Giants, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2022

When Seahawks’ WR D.K. Metcalf was carted off last Sunday with a patella tendon injury, some suspected he might be sidelined for weeks. But Metcalf, listed as questionable for Sunday, will return from his injury sooner than expected and play vs. the Giants, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2022

Metcalf overcame a cervical neck fracture suffered in Oct. 2018 while with Ole Miss to become of the NFL's most productive wide receivers. He has not missed a game during his NFL career, although there certainly was concern after he left last week's 37-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on a cart.

The former Ole Miss star has excelled for the Seahawks over his first three seasons in the league thanks to a per-17 game average of 75 catches, 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Metcalf's 6'4," 235-pound frame helps him tower over any defensive back and provides a big target for quarterback Geno Smith. He has 31 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns.

Neither player practiced Wednesday, but Lockett practiced in full Thursday while Metcalf sat. Both were limited Friday.

Through seven games, Lockett has posted 41 receptions for 468 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Metcalf, meanwhile, has logged 31 catches for 418 yards and two scores.

With both receivers in tow, the 4-3 Seahawks will look to hand the streaking Giants just their second loss of the season on Sunday.

As the Los Angeles Rams look for ways to turn their season around, one familiar name could be on their radar before Tuesday's trade deadline.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Saturday there is "talk in some league circles" the Rams are pursuing a trade for Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

Cooks has seemingly been on the trade market since the end of last season. There were rumblings he might be moved during the offseason until he agreed to a two-year contract extension with Houston in April.

The extension could be a problem if the Texans try to move Cooks. He is only making $1.2 million in base salary this season, but his cap hit spikes to $26.6 million with a $34.2 million dead cap figure in 2023.

As the Texans endure another year of rebuilding, keeping a 29-year-old wide receiver who probably won't be on the roster by the time they are good again makes little sense.

Jordan Schultz of The Score reported this week that Houston is willing to trade Cooks with several teams showing "real interest." According to Schultz, the Texans would prefer to receive draft capital in return if they deal the nine-year veteran.

Per NFL reporter Dov Kleiman, the Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers are among the teams with interest in Cooks. The Chiefs added Kadarius Toney in a deal with the New York Giants on Friday, so they may be out of the receiver market.

The Packers might be more desperate for another receiver than Los Angeles. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers publicly called for players who make too many mistakes to get benched on The Pat McAfee Show (h/t Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith). Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb are the only wideouts on the roster with at least 15 catches who are averaging more than 10 yards per reception.

Los Angeles tried to address its No. 2 receiver position during the offseason by signing Allen Robinson to a three-year contract. He's been a bust with 170 yards on 17 receptions in six games, however.

The entire Rams offense has struggled due to a combination of injuries on the offensive line and poor performances. They have scored the fourth-fewest points in the league (17.3 points per game), and Matthew Stafford has more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (six).

Cooks is familiar with Sean McVay's system, having played with the Rams for two seasons from 2018 to 2019. He had a career-high 1,204 receiving yards in 2018 to help Los Angeles reach the Super Bowl, where he caught eight passes for 120 yards in a 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

The San Francisco 49ers are "willing to listen" to offers for running back Jeff Wilson Jr. following the acquisition of Christian McCaffrey, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

San Francisco has received a number of calls on Wilson, Fowler adds, and with a crowded backfield, the team could be motivated to move him for the right return.

Wilson has spent his entire five-year career with the 49ers, and he is amid a respectable 2022 campaign, rushing for 454 yards and two touchdowns on 88 carries in seven games. He has also caught eight passes for 70 yards.

Wilson's best season in San Francisco came in 2020 when he rushed for 600 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. He also caught 13 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.

However, San Francisco might not have as much of a need for Wilson anymore, mainly because of McCaffrey, who will serve as the team's top running back. Aside from McCaffrey and Wilson, the Niners also have Tyrion-Davis Price and Jordan Mason on the roster.

In addition, Elijah Mitchell, who has been sidelined with a sprained MCL, is expected to return to the lineup in the near future.

It's unclear which teams might be interested in adding Wilson. However, the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks could all use some added depth at running back entering the second half of the season.

Star quarterback Josh Allen currently leads the Bills with 257 rushing yards on 47 carries. He has 10 less carries than running back Devin Singletary, who has rushed for 256 yards this season.

Buffalo could use some depth behind Singletary as James Cook and Zach Moss have rushed for just 97 and 91 yards, respectively.

The Rams, meanwhile, are shopping Cam Akers, and they could use some depth behind Darrell Henderson, who leads the team with 181 yards on 46 carries. Aside from Henderson and Akers, the only other running back on the L.A. roster is Malcolm Brown.

The Seahawks could also use some depth behind rookie Kenneth Walker III, who has been elevated to the starting role following an injury to Rashaad Penny. Walker has 67 carries for 410 yards and four touchdowns in six games.

The only other running backs on the Seattle roster are DeeJay Dallas and Tony Jones Jr.

It's unclear if any of those teams are interested in Wilson, especially with the running back market ahead of the trade deadline also expected to include Akers, Kareem Hunt and potentially David Montgomery.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner will not play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday due to a rib injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Conner will miss his third consecutive game, paving the way for Eno Benjamin to once again lead the backfield.

Injuries have been an issue for Conner all year, as he previously suffered an ankle injury during a Week 2 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but it was not believed to be a serious one and he played the next game.

The 27-year-old veteran entered the 2022 campaign coming off his second career Pro Bowl season. He tallied 752 rushing yards, 375 receiving yards and 18 total touchdowns in 2021 while helping lead Arizona to the playoffs.

Conner, who played at least 13 games in four of his first five seasons in the NFL, has struggled this season, though, rushing for just 200 yards and one touchdown on 54 carries while catching 14 passes for 103 yards and no scores in five games.

Given Conner's ineffectiveness this season, it can be argued that the Cardinals offense will be better off with Benjamin getting another start.

The second-year Arizona State product is coming off a game against the New Orleans Saints in which he rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown while also reeling in four passes for 21 yards.

The Los Angeles Rams play at SoFi Stadium, which is one of the 14 NFL fields with an artificial surface.

Wide receiver Cooper Kupp wishes that wasn't the case.

"It's not even close," Kupp said when asked if he prefers natural grass over turf, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN. "I know there's stuff going around the league right now, there's some issues. Hands down, we should be playing on grass. Hands down, we should be on grass. And that's all I'm going to say."

SoFi Stadium's playing surface was in the headlines this past Sunday when Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf and Los Angeles Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson each suffered patellar injuries on non-contact plays during their game.

Jackson was lost for the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his right knee, while Metcalf may miss the upcoming game against the New York Giants even though his left patellar tendon injury was less serious.

"I think we definitely need to look at this really seriously in the offseason again," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said of the debate between grass and turf, per ESPN's Brady Henderson. "It's been a discussion before. We've got to do what's right, and we've got to do what's safest for the players and we've got to make those choices. I would pound on the drum for that."

Seattle's Lumen Field also has an artificial surface.

Henderson noted NFL Players Association president JC Tretter advocated for all teams to switch to grass fields in 2020. Tretter used data collected from 2012 to 2018 that revealed players suffered noncontact lower-extremity injuries at a 28 percent higher clip on turf than grass.

As for Kupp and the Rams, they will be back on the turf at SoFi Stadium on Sunday when they host the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC West showdown.

Christian McCaffrey is carrying a chip on his shoulder following his trade from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers in the middle of the 2022 NFL season.

"I understand this is a business, but anytime somebody gets rid of you or something happens, you take it personally," he told reporters Thursday. "I'm so happy to be here, but yeah, absolutely (I am)."

“I understand it’s a business, but any time someone gets rid of you, you take it personally.” Christian McCaffrey #49ers pic.twitter.com/9ZZFEELcnc

— Tracy Sandler (@TracyFGSN) October 27, 2022

To some degree, the trade was an indictment of McCaffrey, since the four-year, $64.1 million extension he signed with the Panthers hasn't aged well. He made just 10 appearances between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

But the deal said far more about Carolina than it did the 2019 All-Pro. The franchise is pivoting toward a significant rebuild, and the front office is now in asset acquisition mode. Expensive veterans don't help as much as draft capital.

McCaffrey wasn't the only player jettisoned, with Robbie Anderson sent westward to the Arizona Cardinals as well.

McCaffrey's stock immediately ticked upward after news of his move surfaced. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan has a proven track record of showcasing his running backs, so pairing him with an elite runner and pass-catcher out of the backfield is a match made in heaven.

In his first game with San Francisco, McCaffrey ran for 38 yards and caught two passes for 24 yards on 23 offensive snaps. It was a solid debut given his limited usage.

The 26-year-old should get better as his familiarity with the offensive scheme grows, and he clearly has plenty of internal motivation to prove a point to his old team.