San Francisco 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon is coming off a torn ACL suffered before the start of last season. The team signed running back Tevin Coleman in free agency, adding to a group that already included McKinnon, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, and others.
The addition of Coleman created speculation that the 49ers might try to trade a player within their now-crowded backfield. There were even whispers of some talks with the Philadelphia Eagles, which eventually withered away.
Whatever the 49ers' plans are for their running back depth chart, it sounds like McKinnon will be a part of it. General manager John Lynch was asked on Monday if the running back will be on the roster past April 1.
"Oh yeah," he responded via The Athletic. "Jerick's going to be a part of this. We're excited to see that through."
John Lynch on whether Jerick McKinnon will be on roster after April 1: "Oh yeah. Jerick's going to be a part of this. We're excited to see that through."
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) March 25, 2019
"We saw an opportunity with Tevin and we pounced on it because we knew the player he was," Lynch added via NBC Sports Bay Area. "And that's one where Kyle had first-hand experience with him. If we could do it at that price, absolutely, we'd be involved. We worked hard to get it done, and we're really thrilled."
So it looks like the 49ers might have both McKinnon and Coleman available for the upcoming season, giving them two versatile weapons at running back. San Francisco, however, typically only has three active running backs on game days with the third being a special teams contributor. In the past, that player has been Mostert.
While the 49ers could suit up four running backs on game days, head coach Kyle Shanahan has never done so in the past.
"I haven't before, but you can do anything you want," Shanahan said earlier this month. "But, you've got to make sense of it all. I think we're in a situation right now, just looking at our roster, that I think it could make a lot of sense this year."
Meanwhile, McKinnon continues to work hard in his rehab to ensure he is ready for the upcoming season.
"Jerick's working incredibly hard," Lynch said. "He's always had a chip on his shoulder because that was his first opportunity to be the guy. I'm sure he'll have a bigger chip on his shoulder. But he's very much a part of our plans. The way he's working is very encouraging. But it's a big thing to come back from, that's for sure. Yeah, Jerick is going to be a part of us."