When news broke that Christian McCaffrey was going to be out of action for the foreseeable future with ACL issues, fans wondered how well the San Francisco 49ers would fare without their best offensive player. Would Brock Purdy be able to shoulder an even bigger role on the offense? And what about his backup, Jordan Mason? After famously missing a handoff back in 2022, would the Georgia Tech product be able to mesh with his QB1?
Well, so far, so good; Mason leads the NFL in rushing attempts and ranks second in rushing yards, and Purdy is right up there with him, ranking second in passing yards through four games. But according to “Mr. Irrelevant,” their connection still has a chance to improve, as he told reporters that Mason still has room to grow as a receiver.
“I think he’s got just good skills with seeing the defense and a good feel. So, when he is running these choice routes and stuff from the backfield, he understands where the quarterback needs to put the ball. And then from there, he’s able to make plays, man,” Purdy told reporters.
“Obviously, he’s great with shedding tackles and making plays after the catch and the YAC that comes with it. So, he’s got a lot of potential with it. We’ve just got to continue to grow in that area together and give him some opportunities. But from what we’ve done so far, even dating back to last year, he’s made some catches and stuff last year out of the backfield as well. And so I’m really happy for him, and I know that we still have to continue to get better together.”
While Mason leads the NFL in rushing attempts at 91, he’s only been targeted seven times as a receiver, catching six passes for 57 yards. Granted, that is a career-high, but considering McCaffrey averaged 5.16 receptions per game last year, Mason has a long way to go before he’s the same level weapon as CMC.
Brock Purdy breaks down developing a QB-RB connection
Asked what it’s like to form a new QB-RB connection on the fly after becoming incredibly comfortable with McCaffrey over the past few years, Purdy broke down the process, revealing that things are a bit more difficult than remembering which side the running back is on before handing the ball off.
“Yeah. Like you can draw up a play on paper, but when everything is live, and it’s going full speed against another defense and stuff, there’s another component of understanding where you need to be and how you need to run your route based off of leverage and all those kinds of things. And especially as a running back coming out of the backfield, that’s such a big thing,” Purdy explained.
“Obviously, [RB] Christian [McCaffrey] is probably the best in the league to do it, and so for [RB Jordan Mason] JP to jump in those shoes and try it out and feel it out, he’s done a great job. And it’s not easy. We’ve seen some running backs where you really can’t do that kind of stuff, we’ve seen that practice and stuff, because it’s hard for them to read defenses and all that. But JP’s got a great feel, he’s a natural and he’s got great hands. You have to be able to catch the ball smoothly and transition, and he does that really well. So I’m excited to see what we can do with him.”
Sure, the passing game is still a work in progress, but it’s hard to argue with the efforts either Purdy or Mason have produced so far this season. With a little more work and some seasoning, who knows, maybe Mason will become an even bigger threat for the 49ers moving forward, regardless of how things shake out for McCaffrey.
