Coming off an Offensive Player of the Year season, Christian McCaffrey carried the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII. What was supposed to be a night of vengeance in Vegas ended up being a story similar to Super Bowl LIV. “It hurts deep,” McCaffrey said, following the Super Bowl loss. But somewhere down the heartbreak was a hungrier-than-ever CMC. All he and the 49ers wanted was to get back and complete the unfinished chapter. However, nothing went according to their plan. Especially their star running back McCaffrey’s season. His constant injury troubles and a final nail in the coffin against the Bills all but ended the 49ers’ season while jeopardizing his career.

McCaffrey was already going through a tough period. Having missed the first eight weeks of last season through a bilateral Achilles tendonitis, McCaffrey somehow managed to come back to appear in 4 straight games. Then came a trip to snow-covered Buffalo, tough conditions for someone like McCaffrey to showcase his electric speed. Still, he looked poised to have the breakthrough night he had wanted since returning from an Achilles setback.

But what followed was another night of misery

, as McCaffrey’s teammate Fred Warner recalled on Ross Tucker’s podcast, “It just didn’t go our way, man. You know things just that you talk about that game, and Christian was having an unbelievable game. Like you go back and watch; he was going off, and he happens to land on the on the snow or on the hard ground. And he bust his knee up, you know, and that’s just the type of year that we had.” At the time of McCaffrey’s injury, he recorded seven carries for 53 yards. That’s just on the ground.

Even in the air, McCaffrey caught two catches for 14 yards. But there was this moment in the second quarter where Bills’ safety

Taylor Rupp tripped him in the middle of the field. This led to McCaffrey coming down hard on his right knee. However, after a brief checkup, he was back on the field like nothing had happened. Then, a minute later, that momentum soon turned into another 49ers nightmare. McCaffrey suddenly went down without any contact. Limped to the blue tent, stayed a few minutes, then was off to the locker room.

Later, it was reported that McCaffrey had suffered a posterior cruciate ligament tear on his right knee. It was a season-ending injury. The 49ers, who were 5-7 at that time, went on to finish their season 6-11. Missing their star running back on the offense was a huge setback that the Niners couldn’t cope with. But thankfully, even after two probable career-ending injuries. Kyle Shanahan announced last week,

“Christian is healthy. He’s doing great.”

Getting back their game-changing dual-threat running back could help the 49ers forget last season’s horrors. But CMC’s comeback ain’t the only thing that might give butterflies to the

49ers. Their 4-time All-Pro LB Fred Warner cannot hold his excitement on the prospect of reuniting with Robert Saleh.

Robert Saleh’s return to the Bay Area has Fred Warner dreaming again

Warner has been one of the NFL’s premier linebackers ever since he joined the Niners in 2018. He simply exploded onto the NFL scene in his rookie year: 124 total tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Then, the following season, he guided the Niners to Super Bowl LIV. In their postseason run, Warner posted 20 combined tackles and even an interception with 2 passes defended. Well, all of those monstrous numbers came under the tutelage of Robert Saleh. Saleh was Shanahan’s defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2021.

After redefining the 49ers defense that finished in the top 10 of both scoring and yards per game in their Super Bowl LIV run. Saleh took up a new challenge as the Jets’ head coach. However, his time in New York was far from ideal. Saleh lasted only 3 seasons with an abysmal record of 20-36. He never got the offense working, but at least he worked his magic with their defense. In Saleh’s second season, the Jets were a top-5 unit. Still, his lack of success resulted in him getting the boot.

So, as he gears up for a homecoming, Warner seems to be the most excited, “Obviously, amazingly pumped. Because..nobody else had the vision for what I could be aside from him.” Warner earned his first Pro Bowl under Saleh’s final season in the Bay Area. Last season, the 49ers’ defense was ranked 26th. That’s why Warner seems to be the most pumped about his mentor’s return. However, only time will tell whether Saleh delivers to his expectations. Considering his highly successful first stint, the pressure will be on from day 1. No matter how he fares in his second stint, Warner will surely help him with his explosive tackling to make Saleh feel at home again.