One of the most dynamic players of the 2025 season has been Christian McCaffrey, who has come back close to his peak after missing almost the entire 2024 season with injuries, including an Achilles tendinitis and a PCL issue.
Listed as a dark horse candidate for Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year, he was left out of the top five running backs, according to D’Andre Swift of the Chicago Bears. Here are the players selected by the Bears running back.
Christian McCaffrey Is Not Listed as a Top 5 Running Back by D’Andre Swift
Creating positional rankings is always a challenging task because someone is naturally going to be left out. That doesn’t mean the player is bad; the criteria can vary.
However, the reality is that these lists change from person to person, and context matters a lot, along with timing, history, and production.
With that in mind, Swift listed Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, De’Von Achane, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Bijan Robinson as the five best running backs in the NFL, a very reasonable list, especially when considering this season.
In fact, the first four names match the exact order of the PFSN RBi, while Robinson appears sixth in that metric.
I asked #Bears standout RB D’Andre Swift who his top five RBs currently were.
His answers were strong:đŸ‘‡đŸ‘‡ https://t.co/EIq4MmRg9b pic.twitter.com/qmDICyzdtf
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 10, 2025
That leaves McCaffrey on the outside, and there is a fairly reasonable argument for it. While his total production is impressive, currently ranking third in scrimmage yards with 1,655, the 49ers running back leads the NFL in touches, which naturally inflates his numbers.
McCaffrey’s longest run of the year is 20 yards, and his longest reception is 39. The lack of explosive plays creates the impression that, despite being a key piece of the San Francisco 49ers’ season, he is no longer the type of player who turns heads when he takes the field.
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Even so, it is fair to say there is no player more important to the 49ers today than McCaffrey, and the offense looks completely different when he is on the field. He is currently on pace to reach 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards, which would be the second time in his career and only the fourth in NFL history.
Listed as the seventh-best running back in the PFSN RBi, he could easily fit into a top-five conversation. Still, Swift’s ranking highlights five of the most explosive runners in the league today, all of whom already have more than 1,000 yards on the season and at least 5.0 yards per carry.