With Elijah Mitchell on IR, is it Jordan Mason's time to shine in 49ers backfield?

    Written by: William Petersen •

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    Elijah Mitchell

    News recently broke from 49ers camp that listed RB2 Elijah Mitchell was placed on season ending injured reserve which now opens the door for third year back Jordan Mason to assume the back up role behind Christian McCaffrey, per Adam Schefter. Mason played third fiddle during the Niners Super Bowl run last season but managed to get a small sample size of his abilities after Mitchell missed a total of six games throughout the season due to a knee injury that caused him to miss six total games in 2023. While McCaffrey tore up the NFL on his way to winning Offensive Player of the Year, limiting the usage of Mitchell, Jordan Mason was able to carve out a limited resumé in what may now cement him as the backup running back for San Francisco. Mason tallied 40 carries for 206 yards and three touchdowns last season but did manage to tote 5.3 yards per carry. The buzz has been reportedly growing around Mason during the preseason and the present could be his best opportunity to continue to make a name for himself in the NFL.

    While Jordan Mason now assumes the backup role for San Francisco, the 49ers will need to sign another back in order to have depth in a backfield unit that seems to be riddled with the injury bug. One option that has recently become available is veteran back Samaje Perine who was released by the Denver Broncos today. Perine had a productive role for the Broncos last season, finishing with 693 scrimmage yards but only managed to find the endzone once. Perine is a physical back that also has productive catching ability out of the backfield which could potentially be used to San Francisco’s advantage if McCaffrey’s calf injury continues to linger into Week 1 and beyond. If the Niners wait too long to pull the trigger, I think it would be foolish for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers' front office to not entertain the idea of bringing him in as their RB3. It does not sound like McCaffrey’s calf woes are anything major but it never hurts to have dependable options in your backfield whether your star is available or not. Keep your eyes peeled to see where Perine ends up as he still can make an impact on whatever roster he lands on as we now know the Broncos’ backfield is too cluttered to keep the veteran on the 53 man roster.

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