Having played deep into the NFL Playoffs in four of the last five seasons, August football must seem like a bore for the San Francisco 49ers at this point. Sure, San Francisco is dealing with the contract hold-outs and hold-ins of Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk, the introduction of Nick Sorenson as Defensive Coordinator, and the pressure of yet another season in which the Super Bowl is the one and only goal, but it's going to take an injury update to Christian McCaffrey for 49ers fans to stop thinking about playing into January and February.
Christian McCaffrey was ruled out for the entirety of the preseason earlier this week as he continues to work his way back from a minor calf strain. McCaffrey eased the concerns of Niners fans, noting that if it were the regular season he'd be healthy enough to play, but the 49ers are wise to be cautious with the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year, especially with the status of Brandon Aiyuk still up in the air. It doesn't help matters that half of the 49ers current running back room also won't be seeing the field on Saturday night.
“Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell and Isaac Guerendo will not play tonight,” says Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “And I’m not sure the 49ers will want Jordan Mason to see a lot of action. So undrafted rookie Cody Schrader (All-SEC at Missouri) figures to get a lot of touches.”
Elijah Mitchell and Isaac Guerendo will both be sidelined with hamstring strains. Jordan Mason, a 3rd-year back who has 83 carries for 464 yards in his two seasons with the 49ers, has been surging as of late during 49ers training camp. It's been Mason's ascent, along with the offseason additions of a pair of rookies in Guerendo and Schrader, that has given fans reason to speculate that the 49ers could soon consider looking to trade the injury-prone Mitchell, who rushed for 963 yards in 11 games as a rookie in 2021, but only 560 yards in 16 games since then.
49ers in search of insurance behind Christian McCaffrey
The 49ers reliance on Christian McCaffrey is only a problem if McCaffrey is forced out of action for a prolonged period of time. During his years with the Carolina Panthers, this was the case, a big reason why the Panthers were ultimately forced to trade McCaffrey. But after being limited to just ten games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, McCaffrey has since not missed a game due to injury. The 49ers do however have a number of intriguing players backing up their bell-cow back.
Elijah Mitchell once looked like he was on track to become the bell-cow in San Francisco after the former 6th Round pick finished second among rookies in rushing yards during the 2021 season. It was his inability to stay healthy during the 2022 season which prompted San Francisco to eventually pull the trigger on a deal for Christian McCaffrey.
Jordan Mason is the unofficial betting favorite to get the lion's share of the work behind McCaffrey, who Kyle Shanahan noted will be seeing a slightly diminished workload in 2024. After earning his way onto the 49ers 53-man roster ahead of the 2022 season, Mason has since remained a steady secondary presence in San Francisco's backfield rotations. Don't be surprised if the 3rd year back notches career highs in rushes and yards this season.
The pair of rookies may be the primary reason for 49ers fans to tune in to preseason action. Guerendo won't be playing against on Saturday night against the Tennessee Titans, but the big bodied back out of Louisville who shined at the NFL Scouting Combine will get plenty of opportunities to come away from training camp with the primary back-up job. Cody Schrader ended up going undrafted back in April, despite rushing for an SEC-high 1,627 yards at Missouri last season, earning All-American honors for his efforts.
Follow Us
Subscribe