The San Francisco 49ers had one of the most potent offensive attacks in 2023, spearheaded by quarterback Brock Purdy, who threw for 4,280 yards en route to being top five in MVP voting.
However, the well-known supporting cast was significant as well, as running back Christian McCaffrey led the way in his first full season as a 49er, earning first-team All-Pro honors, while Brandon Aiyuk skyrocketed to produce an All-Pro caliber season as well.
In fact, the 49ers core four of McCaffrey, Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle each had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in a strong year for the group. Here’s the overall breakdown of their numbers.
Christian McCaffrey: 1,459 rushing yards, 564 receiving yards, 21 total touchdowns
Brandon Aiyuk: 1,342 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
George Kittle: 1,020 receiving yards, six touchdowns
Deebo Samuel: 892 receiving yards, 225 rushing yards, 12 total touchdowns
After each eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in 2023, can the 49ers have their core four weapons go for 1,000+ all-purpose yards each again in 2024?
Looking at the leader, Christian McCaffrey is poised to easily break the 1,000-yard mark, something he has done in all but two years of his career (which was due to injury).
In fact, there’s a chance McCaffrey could even get close to 2,000 all-purpose yards again, but the 49ers may look to limit his workload a little after the running back got 355 total touches in 2023.
Behind him, Brandon Aiyuk should hit the 1,000-yard mark for the third consecutive season as long as he doesn’t miss any games due to an unexpected holdout. Aiyuk had a monster season last year, and is likely in line for an even bigger role after he gets extended.
However, the issues this offseason with his contract have kept him away from the team, which could lead to a slower start to the year.
Deebo Samuel bounced back in 2023 after a down 2022 season to his standards, showcasing his versatile skillset and remaining as a touchdown machine. He seems motivated and in shape heading into the year, which will be key for him and the 49ers.
George Kittle remains an underrated piece of this 49ers passing attack, as it feels he could do much more with an increase in volume.
Kittle returned to the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2019 last season and was more of a vertical threat, as his 15.7 yards per catch were the most of his career.
If he can remain healthy, it feels very possible that he could continue to be a 1,000-yard receiver.
So, the 49ers core four each have a good possibility of cracking the 1,000 yards from scrimmage mark in 2024. The question just becomes: will they all do it together?