The San Francisco 49ers have closed an eventful training camp by finalizing their 53-man roster. Brandon Aiyuk has not reported to camp, Trent Williams was unsurprisingly left off the roster, and they made another eye-opening roster move. Running back Elijah Mitchell was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
The 26-year-old back has spent his entire career with the 49ers and was a key contributor in each of the last three seasons. While he is clearly behind Christian McCaffery on the depth chart, it is still a big loss for San Francisco. The move leaves them with Jordan Mason, Patrick Taylor Jr, and rookie Isaac Guerendo behind McCaffery.
Each of those players now has a great chance to take over the second running back spot on the depth chart. The 49ers know that they cannot overuse the injury-prone McCaffery and must get production from other places. If it is on their roster, they will figure out which player to give the carries to before week one against the Jets.
There are also options on the open market to come in and take some carries from McCaffery. Kareem Hunt, Jerick McKinnon, and Matt Breida are all unsigned after training camp. The 49ers have options to replace Elijah Mitchell in the regular season. If they do, they will once again be an unstoppable force on offense.
Expectations for 49ers after Elijah Mitchell’s injury
The 49ers are coming off their second Super Bowl appearance in the Kyle Shanahan era. They’ve lost both of those games to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. To beat the Chiefs, they need a healthy and dominating defense and a balanced offensive attack. Without a second running back to break off big runs, they won’t have that.
The NFC West has three other teams who are looking to make the playoffs this season. The Los Angeles Rams and a healthy Matthew Stafford are looking for another ring, the Arizona Cardinals think they have it figured out, and the Seattle Seahawks have a new coach. The 49ers are not shoo-ins for the playoffs this year and the Mitchell injury compounds that.
The expectation among fans and pundits is still that the 49ers will be in the running for the Super Bowl. With Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffery in the fold, they will still have one of the best weapons groups in the league. Given their history of developing young skill position players, one of those four young running backs could become a great player.
The Mitchell injury has compounded the need to get Brandon Aiyuk back on the roster. The 49ers receiver has held out all summer and has not given in at all on his contract demands. There were rumors that he would be traded to the Patriots and Steelers throughout training camp. Those deals were not made. The 49ers now must get him under contract and back on the field ahead of their week one matchup on Monday Night Football against the Jets.
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