{
  "id": 3885560,
  "title": "Will 49ers trust Kaelon Black, Jordan James enough to lighten Christian McCaffrey's load?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/will-49ers-trust-kaelon-black-jordan-james-enough-to-lighten",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-28T04:01:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/49ers-trust-kaelon-black-jordan-040103040.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The San Francisco 49ers are weighing whether to lighten Christian McCaffrey's workload by trusting rookie running backs Kaelon Black and Jordan James. McCaffrey set a new single-season high for touches in 2025 with 450, and he is now 30 years old, leading some to question if it is time to hand him fewer carries. Black and James have given the 49ers some reason to consider a three-back rotation this preseason, though nothing is guaranteed. Black, the third-round draft pick, had a solid preseason, while James, the fifth-rounder, returned from injury and showed promise in his first practice appearance. The 49ers drafted additional running backs in the McCaffrey era, and their depth chart is a sign of their confidence in the young players' abilities. However, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak reiterated that a defined depth chart will be in place, and he expects McCaffrey to be followed by Black and James at the start of the season.",
  "summary": "Kaelon Black and Jordan James have given San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan some reasons this preseason to follow through on dialing down Christian McCaffrey's touches.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Ex-NBA star gives reason why LeBron James is no longer in GOAT conversation with Michael Jordan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/ex-nba-star-gives-reason-why-lebron-james-is-no-longer-in-goat",
        "published": "2026-08-28T04:50:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}