Tevin Coleman had a breakout year in his final season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2018, rushing for 800 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry as the Falcons' primary running back with Devonta Freeman on the shelf.
Now, Coleman is a member of the San Francisco 49ers and is joining a deep backfield that includes Matt Breida and a returning Jerick McKinnon, who missed all of this past season with a torn ACL.
So, what should we expect from Coleman in 2019?
We need to understand that he will be splitting carries with two other backs. Breida is coming off a really good season of his own in which he totaled 814 yards and three scores while registering 5.3 yards per attempt, and the 49ers are very high on McKinnon.
That isn't to say that Coleman won't get his opportunities, because many do expect him to be the featured running back, but San Francisco has the luxury of having three halfbacks who can all contribute.
Playing with Breida and McKinnon might increase Coleman's efficiency, which was already really good in 2018. The Niners' ability to hand the ball to three different backs will keep all of them fresh and allow Kyle Shanahan to choose which back he wants to give the ball to based on various situations.
Coleman also showed some promise as a receiver this past year, hauling in 32 receptions for 276 yards and five touchdowns. No one will confuse him for Saquon Barkley, but Coleman obviously has some competence as a pass catcher out of the backfield, as do Breida and especially McKinnon, who had a really solid year in his final season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017.
Based on that, there may be many ways Shanahan uses Coleman and the other two backs. There will almost certainly be some formations where Shanahan employs two of them at the same time, and all three guys are versatile enough to keep defenses off balance.
It's important to note that we probably shouldn't expect Coleman to rack up 1,000 yards this season; he likely won't have the carries to do that. However, he might end up catching more passes than he did this past year; the running back depth the 49ers possess will make for some very fun schemes for Shanahan and give him the opportunity to experiment with different sets.
Another thing we need to realize is that San Francisco, while improved, will almost surely not be a contender in 2019 and will probably play from behind quite a bit, meaning the Niners will probably throw the ball a lot.
While that will obviously create opportunities for the 49ers' receivers, it will also provide more chances for Coleman to improve upon his receiving totals from a year ago.
Coleman may be more of a luxury than a necessity for San Francisco; the Niners probably would have been just fine going into 2019 with Breida and McKinnon. Yet, he adds another dimension to their offense and provides insurance in case McKinnon isn't able to get fully healthy.
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