Running back Tevin Coleman received most of the workload during the San Francisco 49ers' offseason program. Much of that was due to the absence of Matt Breida and Jerick McKinnon.
Breida sustained a slightly torn pectoral muscle during a workout. McKinnon is coming off of a torn ACL suffered on September 1, 2018. Both are expected to participate in training camp with Breida likely being full-go from the start.
The 49ers were also without running back Raheem Mostert, who had a setback while recovering from the broken forearm that ended his 2018 campaign. He had a second surgery to repair the injury, which added about a month to his recovery.
That left Coleman as the most experienced healthy running back during the offseason program. While he is new to the 49ers, he has experience with the offense having played for Kyle Shanahan when the head coach was the offensive coordinator in Atlanta. The other running backs on the roster are Jeff Wilson, who is entering his second NFL season, and rookie Austin Walter.
Many have speculated that because Coleman has received the majority of work this offseason, he is the frontrunner to be the 49ers' starting running back when the team kicks off the regular season in Tampa, Florida in September.
Fans agree.
We recently polled the Niner Faithful, asking which 49ers running back will receive the most carries — not necessarily touches — during the upcoming season. This eliminates using receptions or even snaps as a factor. We asked which 49ers running back will carry the football more for the team, and the favorite was Tevin Coleman, who earned 47 percent of the votes.
Breida came in second with 37 percent of the votes while McKinnon, who was expected to start last season before his injury, came in a distant third with 16 percent of the votes.
Which #49ers running back will receive the most carries (not touches) in 2019?
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) June 24, 2019