The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey at running back after Elijah Mitchell was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
The Niners will start third-year former undrafted free agent Jordan Mason and rookie Isaac Guerendo behind McCaffrey with Mitchell out. The San Francisco 49ers will have a new backup running back behind Christian McCaffrey in Mitchell, who has struggled to remain healthy throughout his career.
The Niners placed Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve as part of a series of actions to reduce the roster from 90 players to 53. They did not designate him to return, so unless he and the organization work out an injury settlement and he is waived and then signed again, he is done for the season.
Prior to the team’s 2022 trade for McCaffrey, Mitchell was San Francisco’s starting quarterback. In 2021, he came out of nowhere to become the starting back for the Niners after replacing an injured Raheem Mostert. That season, he ran 207 times for 963 yards and five touchdowns, making him the starting running back going into 2022.
He continued to play a part in the McCaffrey trade, substituting for McCaffrey on short yardage and on occasion goal-line touches. However, he has continuously had trouble staying well throughout his NFL career. Due to injuries, he missed six games in 2021, twelve games in 2023, and twelve games in 2022. He has only received 120 carries in the two seasons since his debut, but his average of 4.7 yards per carry is the same as it was in his rookie year.
In an effort to trim their roster to 53 players before the deadline, the San Francisco 49ers made a number of moves on Tuesday. The 49ers made numerous decisions, one of which was placing backup running back Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve without giving him a return designation. Until the 49ers and Mitchell come to an injury settlement and remove Mitchell off of injured reserve, Mitchell will now miss the entire season.
This season, Mitchell was supposed to be Christian McCaffrey’s backup, the current Offensive Player of the Year. But Mitchell struggled with a hamstring ailment over the offseason, and he was unable to recover in time to join the 53-man roster.
The 49ers selected Mitchell in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Over the last three seasons, the 26-year-old has made 27 appearances, although he has struggled with multiple ailments. He’s had trouble staying on the field after bursting out in his rookie season with 963 rushing yards and six touchdowns overall. Over the past two seasons, he has amassed 560 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Jordan Mason replaces Mitchell as McCaffrey’s backup running back. After joining the 49ers in 2022, 25-year-old Mason was not drafted. Over the past two seasons, he has made 33 appearances, mostly on special teams. He has rushed for 464 yards and four touchdowns on 83 rushes overall for the offense.
With McCaffrey anticipated to get most of the action every game, the 49ers backfield is obviously unaffected by the Mitchell injury in fantasy football. Mason, however, now becomes a useful handcuff to have because McCaffrey has a history of injuries and is now struggling with a calf strain. Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the 49ers, stated last week that he wasn’t concerned about McCaffrey being unprepared for Week 1.
The Niners will start McCaffrey behind rookie Isaac Guerendo and third-year former undrafted free agent Jordan Mason while Mitchell is out. Mason is expected to take over as the starting backup, replacing Mitchell in that capacity. McCaffrey might immediately establish himself as a key member of San Francisco’s offense given his age and injury history.